Use of PET/CT for staging and radiation therapy planning in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) and more recently PET/computed tomography (CT) scanning represent major advances in the imaging of lung cancer and have an especially high impact on the management of patients who are candidates for potentially curative or "radical" radiotherapy (RT). This article reviews the current status of PET and PET/CT for staging patients before RT and considers the use of PET and PET/CT images for target volume definition. The relevant literature on the use of PET for staging lung cancer is reviewed and placed in the context of patients who are candidates for RT. Research that specifically considers the use of PET for RT planning is considered critically and some pr..