[Comparing serum tumor antigen detection combined with CT scan with PET-CT for lung cancer diagnosis]

Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a new bio-imaging system which combined metabolic with anatomic imaging. This system has better three-dimensional definition and earlier tumor detection potential. This study was to compare the accuracy of tumor antigen detection combined with CT scan with PET-CT for lung cancer diagnosis and staging.

A total of 43 lung cancer patients diagnosed by operation or acupuncture, received breast CT scan, tumor antigen detection, and PET-CT scan, were selected. The accuracies of these 2 methods and their impacts on lung cancer staging were compared.

The accurate diagnosis rate of tumor antigen detection combined with CT scan was 67.44%, and that of PET-CT scan was 90.70%. Local focus detection rates were 86.05% and 95.35%, respectively; mediastinal lymph nodes detection rates were 65.12% and 83.72%, respectively. PET-CT detected 6 cases of distant metastasis which were not detected by tumor antigen detection combined with CT scan. Compared with CT scan, 5 (11.63%) cases were upstaged and 7 (16.28%) cases were downstaged by PET-CT, which led to therapeutic strategy changes in 4 (9.3%) cases.

Compare with tumor antigen detection combined with CT scan, PET-CT scan is more sensitive and accurate in diagnosing and staging lung cancer.