title: Is there still a role for SPECT-CT in oncology in the PET-CT era?
abstract: For the evaluation of biological processes using radioisotopes, there are two competing technologies: single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Both are tomographic techniques that enable 3D localization and can be combined with CT for hybrid imaging. PET-CT has clear technical superiority including superior resolution, speed and quantitative capability. SPECT-CT currently has greater accessibility, lower cost and availability of a wider range of approved radiotracers. However, the past decade has seen dramatic growth in PET-CT with decreasing costs and development of an increasing array of PET tracers that can substitute existing SPECT applications. PET-CT is also changing the paradigm of imaging from lesion measurement to lesion characterization and target quantification, supporting a new era of personalized cancer therapy. The efficiency and cost savings associated with improved diagnosis and clinical decision-making provided by PET-CT make a cogent argument for it becoming the dominant molecular technique in oncology.
authors.affiliation: University of Melbourne, Departments of Medicine and Radiology, The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 7 St Andrew's Place, Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia. rod.hicks@petermac.org
authors.forename: Rodney J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hofman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed