Perspectives of novel imaging techniques for staging, therapy response assessment, and monitoring of surveillance in lung cancer: Summary of the dresden 2013 post WCLC-IASLC state-of-the-art imaging workshop

Abstract

Modern imaging techniques that can provide functional information on tumor vascularization, metabolic activity, or cellularity have seen significant improvements over the past decade. However, most of these techniques are currently not broadly utilized neither in clinical trials nor in clinical routine, although there is a large agreement on the fact that conventional approaches for therapy response assessment such as Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors or World Health Organization criteria - that exclusively focus on the change in tumor size - are of less value for response assessment in modern thoracic oncology. The aim of this article comprises two parts: a short review of the most promising state-of-the-art imaging techniques that have the potential to play a larger role in thoracic oncology within the near future followed by a meeting report including recommendations of an interdisciplinary expert panel that discussed the potential of the different techniques during the Dresden 2013 Post World Congress of Lung Cancer (WCLC) - International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) meeting. It is intended to provide a comprehensive summary about ongoing trends and future perspectives on functional imaging in thoracic oncology.