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Cancer Imaging in Immunotherapy

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Immunotherapy

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1342))

Abstract

Immune therapeutics are revolutionizing cancer treatments. In tandem, new and confounding imaging characteristics have appeared that are distinct from those typically seen with conventional cytotoxic therapies. In fact, only 10% of patients on immunotherapy may show tumor shrinkage, typical of positive responses on conventional therapy. Conversely, those on immune therapies may initially demonstrate a delayed response, transient enlargement followed by tumor shrinkage, stable size, or the appearance of new lesions. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) or WHO criteria, developed to identify early effects of cytotoxic agents, may not provide a complete evaluation of new emerging treatment response pattern of immunotherapeutic agents. Therefore, new imaging response criteria, such as the immune-related Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (irRECIST), immune Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (iRECIST), and immune-related Response Criteria (irRC), are proposed. However, FDA approval of emerging therapies including immunotherapies still relies on the current RECIST criteria. In this chapter, we review the traditional and new imaging response criteria for evaluation of solid tumors and briefly touch on some of the more commonly associated immunotherapy-induced adverse events.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Murat Ak, Yousra Eleneen, Mira Ayoub & Rivka R. Colen

  2. Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Murat Ak, Yousra Eleneen, Mira Ayoub & Rivka R. Colen

Authors
  1. Murat Ak
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  2. Yousra Eleneen
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  3. Mira Ayoub
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  4. Rivka R. Colen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rivka R. Colen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor, Dept. of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Aung Naing

  2. Assistant Professor, Service Chief of Adult Allergy & Immunology, Division of Immunology, Allergy & Retrovirology Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’ Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Joud Hajjar

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Ak, M., Eleneen, Y., Ayoub, M., Colen, R.R. (2021). Cancer Imaging in Immunotherapy. In: Naing, A., Hajjar, J. (eds) Immunotherapy. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1342. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79308-1_19

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