PET, CT, and MR Imaging for Assessment of Thoracic Malignancy: Structure Meets Function

Imaging of patients with thoracic malignancy usually requires a multimodality approach. Each of these modalities has its own strengths and weaknesses. CT remains central to the staging and restaging of thoracic malignancies, but has recently been complemented with [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose(FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to maximize its potential. Furthermore, because FDG-PET/CT is useful at all stages of the workup and treatment of these patients, this modality has taken hold in the clinical realm for evaluation of patients with thoracic malignancy and is rapidly replacing PET-only imaging. MR imaging is also occasionally used in some patients with thoracic malignancies to improve disease staging or lesion characterization. PET/MR imaging may come to be used to evaluate patients with thoracic malignancies as well.