title: Role of positron emission tomography in urological oncology.
abstract: • Positron emission tomography (PET) is a diagnostic tool using radiotracers to show changes in metabolic activities in tissues. We analysed the role of PET and PET/computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of urological tumours. • A critical, non-structured review of the literature of the role of PET and PET/CT in urological oncology was conducted. • PET and PET/CT can play a role in the management of urological malignancies. For prostate cancer, the advances in radiotracers seems promising, with novel radiotracers yielding better diagnostic and staging results than 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG). In kidney cancer, PET and PET/CT allow a proper diagnosis before the pathological examination of the surgical specimen. For testis cancer, PET and PET/CT have been shown to be useful in the management of seminoma tumours. In bladder cancer, these scans allow a better initial diagnosis for invasive cancer, while detecting occult metastases. • PET and its combined modality PET/CT have shown their potential in the diagnosis of urological malignancies. However, further studies are needed to establish the role of PET in the management of these diseases. Future applications of PET may involve fusion techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging with PET.
authors.affiliation: Urology Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rioja
authors.forename: Macarena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fraile
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lima-Favaretto
authors.forename: Anibal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rincón-Mayans
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peñuelas-Sánchez
authors.forename: Juan Javier
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zudaire-Bergera
authors.forename: Raul O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Parra
mesh_terms: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014565:Urogenital Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18