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The role of imaging in the clinical practice of radiation oncology for pancreatic cancer

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Abstract

Advances in technology have enabled the delivery of high doses of radiation therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with low rates of toxicity. Although the role of radiation for pancreatic cancer continues to evolve, encouraging results with newer techniques indicate that radiation may benefit selected patient populations. Imaging has been central to the modern successes of radiation therapy for PDAC. Here, we review the role of diagnostic imaging, imaging-based planning, and image guidance in radiation oncology practice for PDAC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, MS 97, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Eugene J. Koay & Joseph M. Herman

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    William Hall & Beth Erickson

  3. Department of Radiation Physics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Peter C. Park

Authors
  1. Eugene J. Koay
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  2. William Hall
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  3. Peter C. Park
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  4. Beth Erickson
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  5. Joseph M. Herman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eugene J. Koay.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH U54CA210181-01, U54CA143837 and U01CA196403), the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (14-20-25-KOAY), and the Radiological Society of North America (RSD1429). We gratefully acknowledge partial support from the Andrew Sabin Family Fellowship, Center for Radiation Oncology Research, the Sheikh Ahmed Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, institutional funds from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, and Cancer Center Support (Core) Grant CA016672 from the National Cancer Institute to MD Anderson.

Conflict of interest

Eugene Koay has received research grants from Philips Healthcare and GE. Eugene Koay has received a speaker honorarium from Philips Healthcare. The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Koay, E.J., Hall, W., Park, P.C. et al. The role of imaging in the clinical practice of radiation oncology for pancreatic cancer. Abdom Radiol 43, 393–403 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-017-1373-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-017-1373-3

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