PET-CT in Lung Cancer

Abstract

Today, lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer in both men and women in the developed countries. An appropriate staging is of great value for patient’s management and prognosis. PET-CT is widely used in lung cancer because of its superiority, compared to other imaging modalities, in the detection of nodal and metastatic disease. PET-CT combines in one single method the detailed anatomic information provided by CT with the functional data provided by PET. 18F-FDG PET-CT currently is indicated for the characterization of lung lesions, staging of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), detection of distant metastases, diagnosis of recurrent disease, planning radiotherapy, and for treatment monitoring. PET-CT has proved to be a cost-effective method in the evaluation of lung cancer. In about 35 % of cases first staged with CT, the stage of the disease has changed—in most cases the disease is upstaged—after subsequent PET-CT, with resultant changes in patient’s management. PET-CT is also a useful and promising method for the evaluation of SCLC—in selected cases—but its role remains under study.