Integrated PET/CT in imaging of non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the most frequently occurring cancers in the world. Accurate staging of patients with non-small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC ) is of paramount importance. It will guide choices of treatment and determine prognosis and outcome. PET-CT, the integration of the functional data of PET with the anatomic data of CT, has emerged as a modality to potentially change the way patients are evaluated. Integrated PET/CT has several advantages. One of the advantages is the use of CT data for attenuation correction that is significantly faster compared to that in conventional PET systems. Due to the use of CT data for attenuation correction, artifacts can be generated on PET images related to the use of CT contrast agents, CT beam-hardening artifacts due to metallic implants and motion artifacts. PET/CT appears to offer superior staging of NSCLC compared with CT and PET individually. However, there are undoubtedly falsepositives and false-negatives that need to be taken into account. The purpose of this review is to discuss some technical considerations concerning the use of PET/CT in lung cancer imaging and to give a short overview of the results of staging of NSCLC. Key Words : PET/CT , Technical aspects , NSCLC.