Metrics derived from quantitative PET, in particular intra-tumor heterogeneity, have sparked considerable interest as biomarkers for prognosis and predicting therapy response. In collaboration with radiologists at the Division of Nuclear Medicine, we have been investigating the role of intra-tumor heterogeneity in patients with different cancers. We recently published a couple of articles based on our research, demonstrating the value of these metrics, as well as studying the impact of different imaging protocols in assessing these metrics. in the Clinical Nuclear Medicine Journal.
“Value of Intratumoral Metabolic Heterogeneity and Quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT Parameters to Predict Prognosis in Patients With HPV-Positive Primary Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma,” Clin Nucl Med. 2017 May;42(5):e227-e234 (link)
“18F-FDG PET/CT Metabolic Tumor Volume and Intratumoral Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Adenocarcinomas: Impact of Dual-Time Point and Segmentation Methods” Clin Nucl Med. 2017 Jan;42(1):e16-e21 (link)