A Japanese study published in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine found that patients with malignant mesothelioma had higher FDG-PET maximum standardized uptake value compared with patients with non-malignant pleural disease. Patients with the highest SUVmax levels also had the lowest chance of long-term survival, according to the study. "Our data suggest that SUVmax levels are useful as an aid for diagnosis and prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma," the researchers said.