title: Functional Imaging Biomarkers: Potential to Guide an Individualised Approach to Radiotherapy.
abstract: The identification of robust prognostic and predictive biomarkers would transform the ability to implement an individualised approach to radiotherapy. In this regard, there has been a surge of interest in the use of functional imaging to assess key underlying biological processes within tumours and their response to therapy. Importantly, functional imaging biomarkers hold the potential to evaluate tumour heterogeneity/biology both spatially and temporally. An ever-increasing range of functional imaging techniques is now available primarily involving positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Small-scale studies across multiple tumour types have consistently been able to correlate changes in functional imaging parameters during radiotherapy with disease outcomes. Considerable challenges remain before the implementation of functional imaging biomarkers into routine clinical practice, including the inherent temporal variability of biological processes within tumours, reproducibility of imaging, determination of optimal imaging technique/combinations, timing during treatment and design of appropriate validation studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds, UK. Electronic address: robin.prestwich@nhs.net.
authors.forename: R J D
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Prestwich
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and Department of Radiology, Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vaidyanathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and Department of Radiology, Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Scarsbrook
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D057285:Precision Medicine; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Biomarker; cancer; functional imaging; magnetic resonance imaging; positron emission tomography; radiotherapy