PET-Computed Tomography for Radiation Treatment Planning of Lymphoma and Hematologic Malignancies.

Overview

FDG-PET is an extremely useful tool for staging and response assessment in multiple malignancies including lymphoma and hematologic malignancies. Its growing importance in radiation treatment planning has also been demonstrated in multiple studies. However, there are many potential pitfalls of PET, particularly in radiation planning, and radiation oncologists must be mindful of the complexities of PET before adapting it for routine use. Close collaboration with nuclear medicine is essential to appropriately interpret PET findings for the design of radiation treatment volumes for lymphoma patients. Long-term clinical outcomes are needed to determine the effect of PET in radiation planning.