18FDG-PET/CT for treatment planning and follow-up

Abstract

Stereotactic radiosurgery is well-established in the treatment of intracranial lesions, but its use in extracranial lesions is relatively new. Stereotactic radiation delivery technologies such as the CyberKnife ® (Accuray Incorporated, Sunnyvale, CA) are being used with increasing frequency to treat lesions outside the cranium, such as in the spine, thorax, and abdomen; lesions that were not previously amenable to radiosurgical treatment due to inherent motion. The critical role of imaging technologies in radiosurgery, both for planning treatments and assessing their effects, makes an understanding of developments in these technologies imperative for radiosurgery professionals. In this chapter, we review how positron emission tomography (PET) is combined with computed tomography (CT) to enhance disease staging, radiosurgery and radiotherapy planning, and follow-up. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.