Therapy Response Imaging in Genitourinary Malignancies

Abstract

Renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer are each among the top ten causes of cancer death in men in the United States (American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2018, Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2018). Fortunately, there are multiple therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for each of these common cancers, several of which have been approved recently. In this context, imaging assessment of response to treatment will become increasingly important, as multiple options are available for patients who do not show evidence of response or benefit from a particular agent. Substantial efforts to optimize imaging response assessment in treatment-specific settings have been published in each of these genitourinary malignancies.

In this chapter, imaging response assessment methods in renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, and prostate cancer will be reviewed, including a discussion of current therapeutic approaches in each disease, response criteria and associated pitfalls, and emerging challenges.