This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: theoncologist.2008-0119v1 14/4/369    most recent eLetters: Submit a response to this article Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services E-mail this article link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints/Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Allen-Auerbach, M. Articles by Weber, W. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Allen-Auerbach, M. Articles by Weber, W. A.

Cancer Imaging

Measuring Response with FDG-PET: Methodological Aspects

Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Ahmanson Biological Imaging Center, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA

Key Words. Fluorodeoxyglucose • Positron emission tomography • Chemotherapy • Radiotherapy • Response

Correspondence: Martin Allen-Auerbach, M.D., Ahmanson Biological Imaging Center, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90095-6942, USA. Telephone: 310-794-7631; Fax: 310-206-4899; e-mail: mauerbach{at}mednet.ucla.edu

Received May 21, 2008; accepted for publication March 2, 2009; first published online in THE ONCOLOGIST Express on April 8, 2009.

Disclosures: Martin Allen-Auerbach: None; Wolfgang A. Weber: None.

The content of this article has been reviewed by independent peer reviewers to ensure that it is balanced, objective, and free from commercial bias. No financial relationships relevant to the content of this article have been disclosed by the authors or independent peer reviewers.

The use of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for the evaluation of tumor response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy has been studied in a number of malignancies. By imaging tumor metabolism and therapy-related changes, FDG-PET has demonstrated advantages over anatomical imaging in the assessment of treatment response. More recent investigations have indicated that FDG-PET can predict tumor response early during the course of therapy, potentially allowing for early treatment adjustments. The aim of this review is to provide oncologists with a basic knowledge of the practical aspects of PET quantification for treatment.