PET in Oncology

In the management of oncologic diseases today, modern imaging modalities contribute heavily to the decision of which form of treatment, local or systemic, surgical or interdisciplinary, will be most efficient. The addition of functional image information to conventional staging procedures - be it through positron emission tomography (PET) as a stand-alone unit or the development of combined PET/computed tomography (CT) or by correlation of modalities using software-based image fusion - represents a further improvement in the diagnostic pathway. Since therapeutic strategies are changing, the characterization of molecular processes, as delivered by nuclear medicine procedures, become more and more important. To reach a decision, anatomical-morphological information about the location and texture of a lesion is crucial, as is the functional-metabolic characterization and general information on the spread of the disease throughout the body. Furthermore, monitoring of response to therapy and diagnostic follow-up to detect recurrent disease demand detailed information about the properties of a tumor and its relationship to surrounding tissues.The information needed to strategically plan the therapeutic management can be provided by correlative imaging such as PET and CT or PET/CT. This book is a comprehensive compilation of the accumulated knowledge on PET and PET/CT in oncology. It covers the entire spectrum from solidly documented indications, such as staging and monitoring of lung and colorectal cancer, to the application of PET/CT in head and neck surgery, gynecology, radiation therapy, urology, pediatrics and others. The chapters are supplemented by an introduction into the underlying techniques of both imaging devices and radiopharmacy. The book is aimed at the nuclear medicine and radiology specialist as well as the interested physician, who will receive an update of the possibilities and limitations of PET and PET/CT in oncology.