Imaging techniques for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.

Noninvasive imaging modalities continue to offer opportunities in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Positron emission tomography with fluorodeoxyglucose imaging in lung cancer represents an important, new, and accurate tool in the armamentarium of the radiologist. Computed tomography scanning, MR imaging, and PET play a significant role in the selection of patients for curative lung cancer surgery, decreasing the number of unnecessary thoracotomies. The imaging modalities also help to direct the choice of appropriate invasive and surgical procedures.