Clinical significance of PET/CT uptake for peripheral clinical N0 non‐small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: In this cohort study, we determined the clinical value of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of primary tumors in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of NSCLC patients was performed from January 2011 to December 2017. Peripheral cN0 NSCLC patients with tumor size 3.8 (odds ratio, 12.149; P < .001) was an independent predictor of nodal metastasis. Overall survival analyses further suggested that SUVmax was an independent prognostic indicator (hazard ratio, 2.050; P = .017). CONCLUSION: Preoperative SUVmax is a predictor of pathological nodal metastasis and prognosis for peripheral cN0 NSCLC patients with tumor size