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PET-CT of Gynecological Malignancies and Ovarian Cancer

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Functional Imaging in Oncology

Abstract

Cervical cancer remains a major threat to women’s health, followed by the endometrial cancer. Ovarian cancer is the second most common cancer of the female genital tract, but accounts for over half of all deaths related to gynecologic neoplasms. The disease typically has vague symptoms that are often ignored, and it is therefore usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. Prognosis is strongly related to the stage of disease at initial diagnosis. In the pretreatment setting, accurate staging and assessment of prognostic factors are crucial for determining the optimal treatment modality in these diseases. Integrated 18FDG PET/CT has been used successfully not only for the diagnosis and staging but also for restaging, therapy monitoring, and prognostic prediction of ovarian and gynecological cancer as well as various other malignant tumors. This chapter aimed at evaluating the role of functional imaging with PET in the management of ovarian and gynecological cancer, discussing its usefulness and limitations and compared to other radiological imaging methods in the assessment of these patients.

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Abbreviations

CA 125:

Cancer antigen 125

CT:

Computed tomography

DWI:

Diffusion-weighted imaging

18FDG:

F-18-fluoro-deoxy-glucose

FIGO:

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

PET:

Positron emission tomography

SUV:

Standardized uptake ratio

TVUS:

Transvaginal ultrasound

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS IRST, Meldola, Italy

    P. Caroli MD

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Sant´Orsola Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    S. Fanti MD

Authors
  1. P. Caroli MD
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  2. S. Fanti MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Caroli MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Health Time Group, Jaén, Spain

    Antonio Luna

  2. Clinica Girona Hospital Sta. Caterina, Gerona, Spain

    Joan C. Vilanova

  3. CDPI and IRM, Botafongo - Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil

    L. Celso Hygino Da Cruz Jr.

  4. Centro de Diagnóstico Dr. Enrique Rossi, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Santiago E. Rossi

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Caroli, P., Fanti, S. (2014). PET-CT of Gynecological Malignancies and Ovarian Cancer. In: Luna, A., Vilanova, J., Hygino Da Cruz Jr., L., Rossi, S. (eds) Functional Imaging in Oncology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40582-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40582-2_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-40581-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-40582-2

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