Magnetic resonance imaging for staging of non-small-cell lung cancer—technical advances and unmet needs

Lung cancer has been and still is the most common cancer globally and with 1.8 million new cases in 2012 (1) makes up almost 13% of all newly diagnosed cancers. Despite substantial improvements in diagnosis, therapy, and prevention in the last decades and reduced mortality rates, lung cancer still is the most common cause of death from cancer with almost 1.6 million deaths in 2012 accounting for almost 20% of all cancer related deaths (1). With about 83%, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is by far the most often-occurring tumor type within this group (2). Imaging has developed as an important factor for initial diagnosis, pre-interventional (i.e., non-invasive) staging and post interventional follow-up. In this editorial we will focus on the role of imaging in the context of staging of NSCLC, addressing in particular some of the most recently published data on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods (3).