PET-CT scans associated with mortality benefit
​​​​​​​Imaging before diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer makes the difference, study suggests
Imaging by PET-CT prior to diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer is likely contributing to more stage-appropriate treatment and a lower disease mortality rate, study results suggest.
US researchers used data on more than 64,000 veterans (98% male) diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer between 2000 and 2013.
As might be expected, they found that use of PET-CT had increased over the study period, with 59% of veterans with NSCLC having a scan in 2000, rising to 93% in 2013.
Use of PET-CT in the year before diagnosis was associated with an increased likelihood of stage-appropriate treatment, regardless of the stage at diagnosis, the analysis showed.
