Chapter 2 – Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in both genders. The role of fludeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in investigating solitary pulmonary nodules as the standard diagnostic imaging modality is well documented. With higher sensitivity and specificity compared with CT, FDG PET/CT is a useful modality for staging and restaging of small cell and non-small cell lung cancers, as well as for the evaluation of corresponding lymph node metastases. In addition to clinical information, benign findings and pitfalls in FDG PET/CT reading, and teaching cases, this chapter reviews evidence-based recommendations regarding PET/CT examination in lung cancers and compares them with statements in major clinical guidelines. According to evidence-based data, this modality is also the standard choice to investigate response to treatment. It has also a prognostic value, for example, a higher maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the primary non-small cell lung cancer is associated with greater tumor invasiveness and postsurgical recurrence.