The Swiss Medical Board has examined the question as to whether PET/CT diagnosis has a positive impact on lung cancer in terms of mortality, morbidity and quality of life by comparison with other diagnostic procedures. On the basis of the results so far, the use of PET/CT scanning improves diagnostic accuracy at least in the case of non-small-cell lung cancer which also has an effect on the choice of therapy and the patient-specific outcome. The application of PET/CT diagnosis in histologically proven or well-founded suspicion of non-small-cell lung carcinoma is therefore considered useful. In patients with solitary pulmonary nodules and small-cell lung cancer, PET/CT scanning is only to be used in the context of clinical studies and also as one of the measures to improve existing data.