THE ROLE OF POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE PREVALENCE OF NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Abstract

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common form of cancer among all non-epithelial forms, and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Accurate staging and determining the prevalence of the oncological process is an important part on the way to successful treatment of the above pathology. Positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (CT) - PET / CT is today a modern, non-invasive method for diagnosing lung cancer, the specificity and accuracy of which is several times higher than classical X-ray computed tomography. This diagnostic method allows to more clearly identify the primary tumor, to distinguish tumor tissue from sites of atelectasis and fibrotic changes located nearby. High efficiency has been proven in assessing the status of lymph nodes, as well as the detection of distant metastases. The value of this method as a tool for predicting survival by assessing the metabolism in the tumor during the initial study and in determining the early (intermediate) and final response to chemotherapy was also confirmed. This review article considers current evidence on the role of PET / CT with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the diagnosis of NSCLC, establishing prevalence, and evaluating response to treatment.