Is there any maximum standardized uptake value variation among positron emission tomography scanners for mediastinal staging in non-small cell lung cancer?

The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) varies among positron emission tomography-integrated computed tomography (PET/CT) centers in the staging of non-small cell lung cancer. We evaluated the ratio of the optimum SUV(max) cut-off for the lymph nodes to the median SUV(max) of the primary tumor (ratioSUV(max)) to determine SUV(max) variations between PET/CT scanners. The previously described PET predictive ratio (PPR) was also evaluated. PET/CT and mediastinoscopy and/or thoracotomy were performed on 337 consecutive patients between September 2005 and March 2009. Thirty-six patients were excluded from the study. The pathological results were correlated with the PET/CT findings. Histopathological examination was performed on 1136 N2 lymph nodes using 10 different PET/CT centers. The majority of patients (group A: 240) used the same PET/CT scanner at four different centers. Others patients were categorized as group B. The ratioSUV(max) for groups A and B was 0.18 and 0.22, respectively. The same ratio for centers 1, 2, 3 and 4 was 0.2, 0.21, 0.21, and 0.23, respectively. The optimal cut-off value of the PPR to predict mediastinal lymph node pathology for malignancy was 0.49 (likelihood ratio +2.02; sensitivity 70%, specificity 65%). We conclude that the ratioSUV(max) was similar for different scanners. Thus, SUV(max) is a valuable cut-off for comparing-centers.