"PET/CT Variants and Pitfalls in Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma"

2-deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-glucose [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT represents the metabolic imaging of choice in various cancer types. Used either at diagnosis or during treatment response assessment, the modality allows for a more accurate definition of tumor extent compared to morphological imaging and is able to predict the therapeutic benefit earlier in time. Due to the aspecific uptake property of [¹⁸F]FDG there is an overlap of its distribution in normal and pathological conditions, which can make the interpretation of the imaging challenging. Lung and pleural neoplasia are no exception to this, thus acknowledging of possible pitfalls and artifacts are mandatory for image interpretation. While most pitfalls and artifacts are common for all indications with metabolic imaging with [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT, there are specific variants and pitfalls in lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma. The aim of the present article is to shed light on the most frequent and relevant variants and pitfalls in [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT imaging in lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma.