PET-computed tomography for radiation treatment planning of lymphoma and hematologic malignancies

FDG-PET is an extremely useful tool for staging and response assessment in multiple malignancies. The growing importance of this technique in radiation treatment planning has also been demonstrated in multiple studies. However, there are many potential pitfalls of PET, particularly in radiation planning, and radiation oncologists must be mindful of the complexities of PET before adapting it for routine use. Close collaboration with nuclear medicine is essential to appropriately interpret PET findings for the design of radiation treatment volumes. Ultimately, long-term clinical outcomes are needed to determine the effect of PET in radiation planning.