BACKGROUND: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15%-20% of all lung cancer cases. Accurate and fast staging is mandatory when choosing treatment, but current staging procedures are time consuming and lack sensitivity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was designed to examine the role of combined positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) compared with standard staging (CT, bone scintigraphy and immunocytochemical assessment of bone marrow biopsy) of patients with SCLC. Thirty-four consecutive patients were included. Twenty-nine patients received initial PET/CT.

RESULTS: PET/CT caused change of stage in 5/29 (17%). Excluding patients with unconfirmed findings or pleural effusion, the sensitivity for accurate staging of patients with extensive disease was the following: for standard staging 79%, PET 93% and PET/CT 93%. Specificity was 100%, 83% and 100%, respectively.

CONCLUSION: The results from this first study on PET/CT in SCLC indicates that PET/CT can simplify and perhaps even improve the accuracy of the current staging procedure in SCLC. A larger clinical trial, preferably with consequent histological confirmation in case of discordance, however, is warranted.