False-negative rate after positron emission tomography/computer tomography scan for mediastinal staging in cI stage non-small-cell lung cancer

Abstract

Composite results for non-invasive mediastinal staging (CT scan, PET-CT) showed 11% of FNs in cI stage (7.6% in non-central cIA and 14.8% in cIB). In tumours≤1 cm, NPV makes surgical staging unnecessary. In women with adenocarcinoma and non-central cIB, however, the high FN rate makes invasive staging necessary, particularly in pT2b to decrease the incidence of unexpected pN2 in thoracotomy.