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Limited-stage small-cell lung cancer — SCE Respiratory MCQ

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HardLung CancerLimited-stage small-cell lung cancerSCE Respiratory

An asymptomatic patient with clinical stage II non-small-cell lung cancer is being prepared for treatment with curative intent. PET-CT shows no distant disease. Which dedicated brain-staging strategy follows NICE?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: B — Contrast-enhanced brain CT, followed by contrast MRI only if CT is suspicious

Explanation lettering: B = shown as A · A = shown as B · D = shown as C · E = shown as D · C = shown as E

A is correct. NICE distinguishes clinical stage II from stage III NSCLC in people proceeding with curative intent: stage II receives contrast-enhanced brain CT, with contrast MRI if CT suggests metastasis; stage III receives contrast-enhanced brain MRI. Symptom-triggered imaging alone is insufficient in stage II, while non-contrast CT, lumbar puncture and whole-body MRI do not replace the specified pathway.

Reference: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng122/chapter/Diagnosis-and-staging