Unraveling the Role of PET in Cervical Cancer: Review of Current Applications and Future Horizons

Abstract

FDG PET/CT provides complementary metabolic information with greater sensitivity and specificity than conventional imaging modalities for evaluating local recurrence, nodal, and distant metastases in patients with cervical cancer. PET/CT can also be used in radiation treatment planning, which is the mainstay of treatment. With the implementation of various oncological guidelines, FDG PET/CT has been utilized more frequently in patient management and prognostication. Newer PET tracers targeting the tumor microenvironment offer valuable biologic insights to elucidate the mechanism of treatment resistance and tumor aggressiveness and identify the high-risk patients. Artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches have been utilized more recently in metastatic disease detection, response assessment, and prognostication of cervical cancer.