Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically or cytologically proven clinical stage I, II, or IIIA single lesion
bronchogenic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

- Adenocarcinoma

- Nonlobar/nondiffuse bronchoalveolar cell carcinoma

- Large cell carcinoma

- Squamous cell carcinoma

- Mediastinal node histology diagnosed by transbronchial biopsy

- Biopsy not required if separate ipsilateral lung lesion clearly evident on
radiograph

- Suspected primary bronchogenic carcinoma allowed without histologic or cytologic
proof (e.g., heavy smoker with new peripheral mass with typical appearance of lung
cancer on x-ray) if:

- Tumor clinically resectable

- Exploratory thoracotomy planned

- Newly diagnosed, untreated disease amenable to curative surgery

- No prior positron emission tomography (PET) scan for NSCLC

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

- 18 and over

Performance status:

- Not specified

Life expectancy:

- Not specified

Hematopoietic:

- Not specified

Hepatic:

- Not specified

Renal:

- Not specified

Other:

- Able to tolerate PET

- Not claustrophobic

- Able to lie supine for 1.5 hours

- Medically fit for surgical staging procedures or clinical resection

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus as evidenced by fasting blood glucose greater than
200 mg/dL

- No prior malignancy within the past 5 years except completely resected cervical
cancer or nonmelanoma skin cancer or cancer that has been treated with potentially
curative therapy and is deemed to be at low risk for recurrence

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- Not specified

Chemotherapy

- Not specified

Endocrine therapy

- Not specified

Radiotherapy

- Not specified

Surgery

- See Disease Characteristics