ROLE OF CONTEMPORARY IMAGING METHODS IN RADIOTHERAPY PLANNING AND MONITORING OF GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER PATIENTS (REVIEW)

Abstract

Radiotherapy (RT) and radiation oncology are of essential role in the clinical treatment of cancer patients. The widely available imaging modalities such as diagnostic ultrasound, computer-assisted tomography, and contrast-enhanced MRI are used in clinical practice for diagnostics and management planning. Moreover, these methods are also used to monitor the treatment upon RT. However, some diagnostic issues cannot be sufficiently resolved by the simple use of standard morphological imaging. Thus, positron emission tomography is gaining an increasing clinical relevance in the management of cancer patients undergoing RT, as it allows to visualize and quantify the tumor features at a molecular level, such as tumor metabolism or receptor expression, beyond simple morphological patterns shown by the conventional imaging. This review focuses on the recent and current advances in imaging techniques, including PET imaging, in the diagnostics and planning of RT in some cancers, namely in cervical cancer.