Imaging primary lung cancers, pleural cancers, and metastatic disease.

Evaluation of primary lung cancers, pleural cancers, and metastases should be based on the TNM system. The optimal selection of imaging modalities can be difficult, and there is no universal agreement on the approach to the workup. Diagnostic pathways can provide guidelines for radiologic imaging sequencing based on the TNM system (Figs. 21-23). No algorithm, however, can fit all situations, and each cancer may require a distinct approach.