Multimodality Staging of Lung Cancer.

Computed tomography (CT) is the primary noninvasive imaging modality for staging of non-small cell lung cancer. Magnetic resonance imaging compliments CT in tumor staging in specific situations. [(18)F]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT is useful in detecting additional regional nodal and distant metastatic sites of disease, thereby reducing the number of unnecessary surgeries. However, noninvasive imaging modalities lack sufficient accuracy for nodal staging in all cases and, hence, preoperative lymph node sampling with invasive techniques such as mediastinoscopy, thoracoscopy, and fine-needle aspiration cytology guided by endobronchial ultrasound or endoscopic ultrasound is frequently required in selected patients.