The Application of PET in Radiation Treatment Planning for Head and Neck Cancer

Radiation treatment plays an important role in the management of head and neck cancer, for which planning is critical in delineating the target volumes. (18)F-fluoro-deoxy-d-glucose PET is being using increasingly in oncologic imaging as a useful tool for target delineation of tumors in treatment planning for radiotherapy as well as in the management of head and neck cancers. PET is now routinely used in the staging of head and neck cancer because of to its improved accuracy. This article provides an overview of how (18)F -fluoro-deoxy-d-glucose PET imaging is being used in the context of radiation treatment planning for head and neck cancers. The use of PET imaging in conjunction with treatment planning CT data can significantly change radiation treatment plans. Current techniques for image registration, target delineation, image segmentation, and the use new radiotracers and dose escalation are explored as well as current challenges and limitations of the technology.