¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging in lung cancer metastasis after surgery

A 68-year-old female patient, diagnosed with stage Ib left upper lobe lung cancer, underwent surgery in June 2021. The patient underwent both ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations on December 19. In our study, we found that PET/MRI identified more pleural and bone metastases and provided accurate total metabolic tumor volume, which might have significant value for the treatment options and prognosis assessment of certain patients, while PET/CT clearly underestimated this aspect. In conclusion, we believed that although there was no significant difference between PET/CT and PET/MRI in the clinical staging of patients with advanced lung cancer, PET/MRI provided richer and more accurate lesion information. The predictive models constructed from these parameter data held important value for changes in treatment methods, survival time, and prognosis for some patients also in the advanced stage of lung cancer.