[Positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) in lung cancer].
BACKGROUND
Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of death due to neoplasm in Western populations, with >660,000 new diagnoses of lung cancer per year according to the World Health Organization.


METHODS
We undertook this study to emphasize the role of positron emission tomography to all health care professionals involved in lung cancer diagnosis.


RESULTS
There are false negatives with PET-(18)FDG in carcinoids and broncheoalveolar carcinoma in almost 40% of the cases. One relatively common cause of false positives is the vocal cord and adjacent muscles contralateral and compensatory to the lung lesion that show an increased uptake of (18)FDG because of lesions in the laryngeal nerve by the tumor or secondary to surgery. It should not be confounded with metastases.


CONCLUSIONS
There is sufficient scientific evidence pointing to the usefulness of PET studies and its evolution to PET/CT, especially in patients with lung cancer. This can resolve doubts by the oncologist and patient when there is a suspicious malignant lesion by the following: characterizing solitary pulmonary nodules (benign or malignant), localizing the optimal site for the biopsy, diagnosis of the primary tumor for initial staging, evaluation of mediastinal involvement and distant metastasis, evaluate and restage residual tumor, assessment of recurrence, monitoring response, prognostic prediction and radiotherapy planning.
Altamirano-Ley
Javier
J
Unidad PET/CT, Hospital Angeles de las Lomas, Vialidad de la Barranca s/n, Col. Valle de las Palmas, 52763 Huixquilucan, Estado de México, Mexico. draltaley@yahoo.com
Estrada-Sánchez
Gisela Rocío
GR
Ochoa-Carrillo
Francisco Javier
FJ
D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed