Does Positron Emission Tomography Prevent Nontherapeutic Pulmonary Resections for Clinical Stage IA Lung Cancer?

In clinical stage IA lung cancer patients, PET prevents nontherapeutic pulmonary resections less than 10% of the time. If a strategy of no surgery and serial computed tomographic scans is chosen for PET negative lesions, over 40% of patients with NSCLC will have surgery delayed. A prospective trial comparing PET versus resection for clinical stage IA lesions would clarify the value of PET for these patients.