Abstract
Diagnostic imaging in bladder cancer plays an important role since it is needed from pretreatment staging to follow-up, but a morphological evaluation performed with both CT and MRI showed low sensitivities and specificities in detecting pathologic lymph nodes, due to the occurrence of false positive results. Implementation of functional information provided by PET/CT could be a determinant in the management of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. A focus on the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT and alternative tracers in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer is provided in this analysis in order to outline its potential applications in staging settings and response evaluation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Highlights
The introduction of positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) in the scenario of molecular medicine has represented a new opportunity in the setting of patients with bladder cancer, many technical drawbacks negatively affect diagnostic performances [11]
A focus on the role of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer is provided in this study, trying to outline its potential applications in both staging and restaging settings and for response evaluation following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC)
Urothelial Bladder cancer (BC) is classified as a non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC)—cancer which has not invaded through the smooth muscle layer surrounding the bladder, representing the majority of BC diagnoses [4]
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Significant shifts are required to define the best options in diagnosis and treatment for BC [6] and to incorporate molecular medicine with the final aim of decreasing ineffective or inappropriate treatments in any single patient [7]. Molecular nuclear medicine of the urinary tract focuses on conventional imaging techniques of the kidney [8]. Bladder imaging has mainly been limited to the identification of vesicoureteral reflux as a cause of recurrent urinary tract infections [9,10]. The introduction of positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) in the scenario of molecular medicine has represented a new opportunity in the setting of patients with bladder cancer, many technical drawbacks negatively affect diagnostic performances [11]. A focus on the role of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer is provided in this study, trying to outline its potential applications in both staging and restaging settings and for response evaluation following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC)
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