TA study -- conducted by Cancer Care Ontario and led by Dr. Yee Ung -- evaluated PET imaging in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.

"Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death and early diagnosis provides the best chance for long-term survival," said Ung, chairman of the lung cancer site group at the Odette Cancer Center in Toronto. "It is our hope this systematic review contributes to clinical guideline discussions exploring the potential of PET as part of standard preoperative work-up -- along with computed tomography -- to further enhance assessment of early-stage lung cancer."

Ung said PET imaging provides complementary information on biochemical processes that might precede gross anatomical changes.

The study determined PET imaging is accurate in differentiating between benign and malignant lung tumors as small as 1 centimeter.

The findings are reported online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.