New ways of assessing ovarian cancer response: metabolic imaging and beyond

Cancer Imaging. 2012 Sep 28;12(2):310-4. doi: 10.1102/1470-7330.2012.9004.

Abstract

In patients with advanced ovarian cancer, it can be challenging to evaluate response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy on computed tomography (CT) due to disseminated small volume disease and serosal disease. In addition, measuring the change in size of tumour burden takes time in order to allow tumour shrinkage. Despite these challenges, serum CA-125 levels and CT are the standard tools for the assessment of treatment response in ovarian cancer. New functional imaging techniques may allow the identification of response earlier and with higher accuracy. In this review article, we describe the current literature on functional imaging techniques in ovarian cancer response assessment, focusing on fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Multimodal Imaging / methods*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / surgery
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18