Role of positron emission tomography in lung cancer

The ability to demonstrate tumour foci that are undetected by conventional imaging has resulted in the emergence of positron emission tomography (PET) as a valuable clinical tool in oncology. This article describes the technique and indications for fluorine-18 labelled fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG)-PET in lung cancer, demonstrating the high accuracy and cost-effectiveness of 18FDG-PET in the characterisation of solitary pulmonary nodules and in the pre-operative staging of non-small cell lung cancer. Emerging roles in determination of prognosis, radiotherapy planning, therapy monitoring and diagnosis of recurrence are illustrated.