title: Anal carcinoma: FDG PET/CT in staging, response evaluation, and follow-up.
abstract: The role of FDG PET/CT in anal cancer is becoming increasingly important. At the time of initial staging, FDG PET/CT can detect the primary site of disease more frequently than CT, is sensitive for nodal and metastatic spread and alters staging in a significant number of patients. Indeed, the NCCN guidelines for anal cancer published in April 2012 recommend FDG PET/CT for therapy planning. Metabolic activity of primary anal cancer at presentation is a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis, treatment response and survival. More intensely FDG-avid primary malignancy is associated with a higher incidence of disease spread. Metabolic response following chemoradiotherapy is associated with improved survival. The aim of this paper is to provide an up-to-date pictorial review of FDG PET/CT in anal cancer at the time of staging and to illustrate its utility for determining response to therapy and detecting recurrent disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital & Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA. ssaboo@partners.org
authors.forename: Sachin S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Saboo
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zukotynski
authors.forename: Atul B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Shinagare
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Krajewski
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ramaiya
mesh_terms: D001005:Anus Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18