Current and future trends in imaging informatics for oncology.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Imaging
• Informatics

Background:

• Clinical imaging is vital for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment assessment.
• Significant progress in medical imaging informatics has occurred over decades.
• Current informatics advances address oncologic imaging needs, yet deficiencies persist.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status, limitations, and future trends of imaging informatics in oncology care.
• To examine information systems supporting clinical workflows in cancer care.
• To discuss informatics approaches relevant to oncologic imaging.

Main Methods:

• Review of information systems for oncologist ordering of radiology studies.
• Analysis of radiologist review and reporting of image findings.
• Evaluation of oncologist review and integration of imaging data for clinical decisions.
• Discussion of informatics strategies, including controlled terminologies, image annotation, and processing algorithms.

Main Results:

• Information systems support key aspects of cancer clinical workflows.
• Specific informatics approaches are being applied to oncologic imaging.
• Gaps in current oncologic imaging informatics systems are identified.

Conclusions:

• Imaging informatics systems are essential for modern oncology care and research.
• Continued evolution and maturation of these systems are expected with new imaging modalities and biomarkers.
• Addressing existing gaps is crucial for advancing cancer care through imaging informatics.