Abstract

For locally advanced cervical cancer, the current literature supports the use of 18F-FDG PET for assessing treatment response 3 mo after the completion of concurrent chemoradiation. 18F-FDG PET can provide reliable long-term prognostic information for these patients and, in the future, may be used to guide additional therapy. Investigational areas include the use of 18F-FDG PET for monitoring response during radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the metastatic and neoadjuvant settings. For ovarian masses, the performance of 18F-FDG PET in the detection of borderline tumors is limited, and the presence of physiologic 18F-FDG uptake in normal ovaries of premenopausal women poses another limitation. Preliminary data suggest that the performance of 18F-FDG PET and 18F-FDG PET/CT is superior to that of CT alone in initial staging, but the sensitivity of both in the detection of carcinomatosis is limited. Preliminary data also suggest that 18F-FDG PET may be promising for early prediction of response to chemotherapy and for prediction of response after the completion of chemotherapy. 18F-FDG PET and 18F-FDG PET/CT are most helpful in the evaluation of patients with suspected recurrent ovarian carcinoma, especially when CA-125 levels are rising and CT findings are normal or equivocal. PET and CT are complementary, and PET/CT should be used when available. Preliminary data suggest that the addition of 18F-FDG PET/CT to the evaluation of these patients changes management in approximately a third and reduces overall treatment costs by accurately identifying patients who will or will not benefit from surgery.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)64S-73S
JournalJournal of Nuclear Medicine
Volume50
Issue numberSUPPL. 1
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2009

Keywords

  • Cancer
  • Cervix
  • Ovary
  • Therapy response

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