Lung Cancer
Volume 75, Issue 2 , Pages 141-145, February 2012

PET scans in radiotherapy planning of lung cancer

  • Dirk De Ruysscher

      Affiliations

    • Radiation Oncologist, Maastricht University Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology (MAASTRO Clinic), GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht, The Netherlands
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +31 884455666; fax: +31 884455773.
    • ,
  • Ursula Nestle

      Affiliations

    • Radition Oncologist and Nuclear Medicine Specialist, Department for Radiation Oncology, University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany
    • ,
  • Robert Jeraj

      Affiliations

    • Physicist, University of Wisconsin, Departments of Medical Physics, Human Oncology, Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Madison, WI, USA
    • ,
  • Michael MacManus

      Affiliations

    • Radiation Oncologist, Department of Radiation Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Received 13 June 2011; accepted 25 July 2011. published online 19 September 2011.

Abstract 

Accurate delineation of the primary tumor and of involved lymph nodes is a key requisite for successful curative radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In recent years, it has become clear that the incorporation of FDG PET-CT scan information into the related processes of patient selection and radiotherapy planning has lead to significant improvements for patients with NSCLC. The use of FDG PET-CT information in radiotherapy planning allows better target volume definition, reduces inter-observer variability and encourages selective irradiation of involved mediastinal lymph nodes. PET-CT also opens the door for innovative radiotherapy delivery and the development of new concepts. However, care must be taken to avoid a variety of technical pitfalls and specific education is necessary, for clinicians and physicists alike.

Keywords: PET, Radiotherapy, Lung cancer, Planning, Delineation

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

PII: S0169-5002(11)00421-1

doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2011.07.018

Lung Cancer
Volume 75, Issue 2 , Pages 141-145, February 2012

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution