Practical Consideration for Integrating PET/CT in Radiation Therapy Planning for Patient Care.

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, PET/CT has had many technological and developmental advancements for patient care. PET/CT has evolved from solely used as a diagnosis and staging tool to now having an impact on treating cancer through a collaboration with radiation oncology. There are multiple considerations when integrating PET/CT into radiation therapy planning such as PET/CT center needs, the types of scans to offer, workflow considerations between the two centers, PET/CT center growth and demand on schedules, and the impact PET/CT will have on radiation treatment planning. Careful planning and implementation are important to offer optimum care to patients integrating PET/CT in radiation therapy planning.