The Role of F-18- FDG PET and PET/CT in Lung Cancer

Positron emission tomography (PET) has the unique ability to image bodily functions, such as blood flow, oxygen use, and glucose metabolism. PET imaging in combination with computerized tomography (CT) offers a high sensitivity scan for metabolic activity with precise anatomical localization. PET/CT with the glucose analog 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has become an essential tool for the work-up of patients with cancer for clinical practice. F-18-FDG PET/CT provides valuable information about differential diagnosis, staging and therapy response of oncologic disease. Lung cancer remains the most common cause of death from malignant disease in the world both in women and in men. In this article, the role of F-18-FDG PET and F-18-FDG PET/CT in lung cancers have been reviewed [Archives Medical Review Journal 2013; 22(4.000): 470-485]