The Emerging Role of PET/MR Imaging in Gynecologic Cancers

Maria Rosana Ponisio; Kathryn J Fowler; Farrokh Dehdashti

doi:10.1016/j.cpet.2016.05.005

The Emerging Role of PET/MR Imaging in Gynecologic Cancers

PET Clin. 2016 Oct;11(4):425-40. doi: 10.1016/j.cpet.2016.05.005.

Authors

Maria Rosana Ponisio¹, Kathryn J Fowler², Farrokh Dehdashti³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Nuclear Medicine, Edward Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 South Kingshighway Boulevard, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
² Division of Abdominal Imaging, Edward Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 South Kingshighway Boulevard, St Louis, MO 63110, USA; Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 South Kingshighway Boulevard, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
³ Division of Nuclear Medicine, Edward Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 South Kingshighway Boulevard, St Louis, MO 63110, USA; Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 510 South Kingshighway Boulevard, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. Electronic address: dehdashtif@wustl.edu.

PMID: 27593247
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpet.2016.05.005

Abstract

This article summarizes recent advances in PET/MR imaging in gynecologic cancers and the emerging clinical value of PET/MR imaging in the management of the 3 most common gynecologic malignancies: cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. PET/MR imaging offers superior soft tissue contrast, improved assessment of primary tumor involvement because of high-resolution multiplanar reformats, and functional MR techniques such as diffusion-weighted MR imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging. This article discusses the challenges, future directions, and technical advances of PET/MR imaging, and the emerging new multimodality, multiparametric imaging techniques for integrating morphologic, functional, and molecular imaging data.

Keywords: Gynecologic malignancies; Ovarian epithelial cancer; PET/MR imaging; Uterine cervical cancer; Uterine endometrial cancer.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Female
Genital Neoplasms, Female / diagnostic imaging*
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Multimodal Imaging / methods*
Positron-Emission Tomography / methods*