OBJECTIVES: I. Determine whether whole body fludeoxyglucose F 18 (F-18 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose; FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) can quantitate the response to induction (preoperative) chemotherapy in patients with esophageal or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by correlating changes in PET scan images with surgical staging, frequency of complete resection, disease-free survival, and overall survival. II. Correlate PET scan results with the multiple conventional complementary imaging modalities of thoracic and/or abdominal CT, bone scans, and cranial MRI. III. Evaluate the use of PET scanning to uncover disease sites undetected by current imaging modalities.