Nuclear imaging and target volumes for radiotherapy

Nuclear imaging plays a key role in the management of malignant tumours by radiation oncologists. Focusing on lung cancers, this review emphasizes how FDG PET/CT is determinant for initial staging and indication of curative-intent radiotherapy. The treatment machines are nowadays able to achieve precise dose distributions, taking into account the functional characteristics of malignant tumours and their evolution during radiotherapy. Major technical difficulties still have to be overcome, not the least being the inescapable necessity to register all images on a planning CT scan. The clinical validation of these innovative approaches and their diffusion in daily routine require a very close collaboration between both specialties, based on a common language and understanding of radiotherapy target volumes. (C) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.