Tehran University of Medical Sciences Basic & Clinical Cancer Research 2228-6527 6 3 2014 01 01 29 35 EN Hamid Ravaghi Assistant Professor, Department of Health Service Management, School of Management and Medical Information Services, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ali Akbari Sari Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management and Economics,School of Public Health, And Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran Universityof Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Sima Sarvari Medical Lecturer, Medical College, Shantou University, China Mohammas Reza Mobinizadeh Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Office, Deputy of Curative Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran 2014 04 24 2014 09 28 Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) scan is a non-invasive, complicated   and expensive medical imaging technology used for diagnosis and treatment of various  diseases including cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this technology in Iran. Methods: The major medical electronic databases including Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, MEDLINE and IranMedex were searched. Studies that compared PET scan with another diagnostic method in terms of sensitivity, specificity and safety were used. Findings: PET scan has been found to be a non-invasive and safe procedure for diagnosing metastatic NSCLC with a sensitivity and specificity of 74% to 95% and 81% to 97%, respectively. On the other hand, the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography (CT) scan have been reported as 60% to 67% and 73% to 77%, respectively. The corresponding values for mediastinoscopy have been 78% and 100%. In lymphoma, the specificity and sensitivity of PET scan (90% and 79% to 100%, respectively) have been higher than those of gamma scan. Although PET scan is not an appropriate method for screening and diagnosing cancer, it can contribute to staging and follow-up processes in cases of NSCLC and lymphoma. This technology adds 0.046 years (about 17 days) to the patient’s life. Conclusion: PET scan is a safe technology that has better diagnostic performance compared to similar technologies. The application of this method in staging and follow-up of NSCLC and lymphoma can prevent unnecessary surgeries and adds a few years to patients’ longevity and quality of life. https://bccr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/bccrj/article/view/126 https://bccr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/bccrj/article/download/126/pdf