title: PET scans in radiotherapy planning of lung cancer.
abstract: Accurate delineation of the primary tumor and of involved lymph nodes is a key requisite for successful curative radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In recent years, it has become clear that the incorporation of FDG PET-CT scan information into the related processes of patient selection and radiotherapy planning has lead to significant improvements for patients with NSCLC. The use of FDG PET-CT information in radiotherapy planning allows better target volume definition, reduces inter-observer variability and encourages selective irradiation of involved mediastinal lymph nodes. PET-CT also opens the door for innovative radiotherapy delivery and the development of new concepts. However, care must be taken to avoid a variety of technical pitfalls and specific education is necessary, for clinicians and physicists alike.
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology (MAASTRO Clinic), GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht, The Netherlands. dirk.deruysscher@maastro.nl
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Ruysscher
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nestle
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeraj
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macmanus
mesh_terms: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18