Current Concepts in Diagnosis and Staging of Lung Cancer

The main issues related to thoracic imaging in evaluating patients with lung cancer are: detection, characterization, staging, treatment assessment, and monitoring for tumor recurrence after treatment. In this chapter we review the diagnosis and staging of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an emphasis on the seventh edition of the tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging system. The advantages and proper use of imaging techniques are stressed, especially in relation to the specifc situation of the patient and the needs of the clinician.