Diagnostic characteristics of a serum biomarker in patients with positron emission tomography scans.

Surgery for pulmonary nodules results in a benign diagnosis in 10% to 30% of cases. Computed tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) are highly sensitive but less specific. High-risk patients (age > 55 years and smoke > 15 pack-years) for lung cancer with negative FDG-PET scans, or low-risk patients (age 55 years or smoke 15 pack-years) with FDG-PET-avid lesions may have higher rates of benign nodules. We hypothesized that our serum biomarker improves diagnostic accuracy by providing greater specificity.