Lung Cancer

After treatment, it is important to know if any active cancer cells remain in the body. In the past, the amount and type of chemotherapy that is used, as well as the area treated by the radiation beams in radiation therapy, was according to standard rules. PET allows the type and amount of therapy to be directed specifically to you, the patient, and the location, extent, and resilience of your type of cancer.

PET can be used to image lung tumor response to therapy and to detect recurrence in successfully treated lesions.

If the cancer cells have been killed by the treatment, they will not absorb any of the radioactive glucose given in the PET scan. After treatment, although the tumor masses may still be present and seen on CT scans, the cells may no longer be alive-which can be shown by PET. Conversely, if the cancer cells have come back either in lymph nodes or scar tissue from surgery or another lesion, PET can see the accumulation of the radioactive glucose much sooner than a CT scan-treatment can be re-started sooner and this can improve your chance of beating this disease.

Call the doctors at the PET centers nearest you if you have lung cancer and would like to discuss whether PET could be useful in your care.