Positron Emission Tomography / Computed Tomography ( PET / CT ) versus mediastinoscopy at mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: Lung cancer is a common cause of cancer releated deaths. Surgery is the most important treatment option in the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Positron emission tomography / computed tomography ( PET / CT) is recently used for the preoperative staging. Accurate initial staging is very important at NSCLC. Especially the mediastinal staging. The aim of this study is to compare PET / CT with mediastinoscopy.Materials and methods: In this study 50 NSCLC patients staged with PET / CT preoperatively. Mediastinoscopy applied to patients with positive mediastinal PET / CT findings, thoracotomy applied the ones with negative PET / CT findings. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of PET / CT and CT were found based on the histopatological findings.Findings: Specificity, sensitivity, negative and positive predictive values were % 61.1, % 92.9, % 95.7 and %48.1 for CT, % 77.8, % 57.1, % 82.4 and % 50 for PET / CT.Results: Negative predictive value and specificity for PET / CT was found lower then the other studies. The number of patients of our study is also lower then the other ones. In conclusıon imaging methods like PET CT and CT gives information about mediastinal staging but invasive must be performed.