Posttherapy imaging of musculoskeletal neoplasms

Posttreatment imaging is important to ensure early detection of oncological complications, and appropriate timing and frequency is an important consideration, especially in high-risk patients. Focused magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the preferred modality for detection of local recurrence of soft tissue tumors and is also used in high-risk osteosarcoma. Although posttreatment changes can mimic or obscure local recurrence on MR imaging, a systematic approach and knowledge of the features of recurrence versus therapeutic change allows differentiation in almost all cases. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography is also emerging as an important problem-solving tool in local recurrence and in metastatic surveillance.