title: Imaging for oncologic staging and follow-up: review of current methods and novel approaches.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the current radiological methodologies and guidelines for staging and followup in oncology, and to give a perspective based on the available new technologies in oncologic radiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  The literature on cancer radiologic quantification in diagnostic phase and follow-up has been reviewed. The main concepts and guidelines (official and non-official) have been extracted taking into account the period of publication and the available technology. The current World Health Organization (WHO) and Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) guidelines have been critically evaluated on the basis of technical literature on quantitative radiology applied to oncology. Pitfalls of previous and current guidelines have been exploited on the basis of currently available techniques for quantification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Errors due to operator, scanner, software, and measurement technique inconsistency are all together far more relevant than the recognized thresholds applied for detecting therapeutic response. For this reason the volumetric assessment of cancer disease should be introduced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even though the technical constraints are still prominent in the clinical practice, the design of clinical trials should be planned taking into account these new volumetric quantitative techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Diagnostics, University Hospital of Parma, Italy. filippocademartiri@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cademartiri
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Luccichenti
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maffei
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fusaro
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soliani
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sianesi
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zompatori
authors.forename: Girolamo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Crisi
authors.forename: Gabriel R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Krestin
mesh_terms: D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography