CT and MRI of Lung Cancer

Computed tomography (CT) is still the cornerstone of imaging studies in the preoperative staging and post- therapeutic evaluation of lung cancer. The most recent developments in multidetector technology have dramatically improved the temporal and spatial resolution of CT. In the mean time, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not become a routine examination in lung imaging and is today only used as a problem-solving tool in patients in whom CT remains equivocal. This article will describe the current tools developed in the multidetector CT era for evaluating the lung, and state-of-the-art MR examination of the chest. Then, the role of CT and MRI in nodule detection, the distinction between benign and malignant nodules, and the benefit of CT and MRI in the staging and post-therapeutic evaluation of lung cancer will be covered.