Obstetrics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Obstetrics, including details on caesarean delivery, child birth, labour.

PET/CT and cross sectional imaging of gynecologic malignancy.

Iyer RB, Balachandran A, Devine CE

Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. riyer@mdanderson.org

Gynecologic cancers are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in women of all ages. While many gynecologic cancers are staged clinically using the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system, imaging can be a useful adjunct to clinical staging. Cross sectional imaging techniques such as ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been used to detect and follow patients with gynecologic cancer. These imaging modalities can show anatomic detail and morphologic changes in the female genitourinary tract to good advantage. Positron emission tomography (PET) differs in that it shows functional information that is not easily obtained by the other cross sectional imaging techniques. The fusion of PET with CT allows anatomic localization of functional abnormalities in the female genital tract and thereby allows the detection of gross disease in many malignant conditions both within and outside the confines of the female pelvis. The utility and limitations of imaging common gynecologic tumors such as cervical, ovarian and endometrial cancer are discussed with particular emphasis on PET/CT imaging.

Published 8 October 2007 in Cancer Imaging, 7: S130-8.
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