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The large randomized study by Crook et al. demonstrated that intermittent administration of androgen deprivation therapy should be considered the standard of care when patients with moderate and well-differentiated localized prostate cancer are treated for rising PSA levels after definitive radiotherapy.
Hypoxia can affect clinical outcome after radiotherapy, resulting in reduced local tumour control and increased malignant progression. Hence, its detection is of utmost importance, but how can we detect hypoxia? Horsman et al. assess the potential use of imaging to identify hypoxic tumours that would lead to treatment modifications with the aim of improving clinical outcome after radiotherapy.
Technological innovations have made possible the integration of imaging technology into the radiation treatment devices to increase the precision and accuracy of radiation delivery. But, this is just the beginning. In this Review, David A. Jaffray discusses the different exciting advances in image-guided radiotherapy to achieve patient-specific radiotherapy treatment courses in the ever evolving field of radiation oncology.
Are there any methods beyond MRI for brain tumours imaging? This Review by Andrew C. Peet and colleagues discusses the additional information that can be obtained by using functional imaging methods—such as diffusion imaging, perfusion imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy—and the challenges in determining the best way to incorporate these techniques into routine clinical practice.
PET or SPECT, is that the question? Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are both tomographic techniques that enable 3D-localization of the tumour and can be combined with CT for hybrid imaging; but is one better that the other? In oncology imaging nothing is black or white, and Rod Hicks and Michael Hofman provide us with an in-depth analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each technique.
Treatment of prostate cancer using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) focal therapy could be a reliable treatment option but, are we ready for it? This Perspectives article assesses whether our current methods for cancer diagnosis, tissue targeting, and treatment follow up are accurate enough to allow the design of HIFU focal therapy protocols.
Once upon a time, around 100 years ago, there was an X ray image of a sarcoma. From then on, increasingly complex functional imaging techniques were developed and are now applicable in both clinical and research platforms. This Timeline article revisits the achievements of the pioneer techniques in cancer imaging, discussing how they have changed over time and envisioning how imaging will remodel the future of modern oncology.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has invested a great deal of resources into examining imaging modalities and agents to improve image-guided interventions and disease monitoring in cancer. In this Perspectives article, the author describes the efforts of the NCI has made to facilitate clinical trials in imaging.
This Focus issue includes specially-commissioned articles that comprehensively cover the recent developments in cancer imaging including the analysis of innovative techniques, the challenges of visualizing special tissues, and the use of imaging in cancer beyond that of detection and response assessment. Produced with support from Siemens Healthcare
