PET diagnosis of lung cancer

Abstract

Purpose. We review the utility of positron emission computed tomography (PET) in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Materials and Methods. The use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT (FDG-PET/CT) in the diagnosis of lung cancer is common in the determination of initial staging, therapeutic response and recurrence. Recently, the use of PET in the evaluation of early therapeutic response and prognosis prediction has been progressed, as the use of PET radiopharmaceuticals other than FDG and their utility has been evaluated in many institutions. In this article, we discuss the usefulness of the PET diagnosis of lung cancer patients. Results. At the initial diagnosis, standardized uptake value (SUV) measurement is useful in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules over 1 cm, but correlation with CT imaging is essential. FDG-PET/CT is also useful in staging, although careful correlation with CT is important for the differential diagnosis of reactive lymph nodes, such as mediastinal nodes. It is also useful in recurrence evaluation, and its application in the early therapeutic response based on the RECIST criteria has been evaluated in many institutions. Conclusion. PET is a very important tool in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Its application in early therapeutic response is expected to progress with the development of new PET tracers in the near future. © 2012 The Japan Lung Cancer Society.