Ratio of the Maximum Standardized Uptake Value on FDG-PET of the Mediastinal (N2) Lymph Nodes to the Primary Tumor May Be a Universal Predictor of Nodal Malignancy in Patients With Nonsmall-Cell Lung Cancer

The ratio of the maxSUV of the mediastinal (N2) lymph node to the maxSUV of the primary tumor in patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer predicts mediastinal nodal pathology across different PET centers. When the ratio is 0.56 or greater, there is a 94% chance that the node is malignant. The ratio may take into account the different techniques used at different centers.