Image Guidance of Screening, Staging, and Combined Modality Management of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and accounts for the most cancer-related deaths (1). The United States 2006 cancer statistics (2) showed that lung cancer is the second most common cancer for men and women but the number one cancer killer in both sexes. The most common lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for 80% of all lung cancer cases. The 5-year survival rate of patients with lung cancer in the United States is only 15% according to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Early diagnoses and more effective treatments are urgently needed.