Applying PET/MR in Oncology - a Prospective Project

Cancer is a global health issue. According to the World Health Organization, Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, and is responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. In Israel, more than 30,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed, and more than 11,000 deaths were cancer-related during 2016. Imaging plays a pivotal role in cancer management, and multiple techniques are used in all phases of cancer management. The overall morphological, structural, metabolic and functional information obtained in imaging is used for improved individualized therapy planning. Different imaging modalities are available during different time points in the natural history of different malignancies: Early detection of cancer through screening based on imaging is probably a major contributor to a reduction in mortality for certain cancers . Once a diagnosis is made, determining the clinical stage of cancer, meaning the extent of the disease before any treatment is given, is a critical element in determining appropriate treatment based on the experience and outcomes of groups of previous patients with similar stage . Precise clinical staging of cancer is crucial. Not only that this clear non-ambiguous description is a key factor that defines prognosis, it is also a chief component of inclusion, exclusion, and stratification criteria for clinical trials. Several cancer staging systems are used worldwide. The most clinically useful staging system is the tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) staging system developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) in collaboration with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). The AJCC TNM system classifies cancers by the size and extent of the primary tumor (T), involvement of regional lymph nodes (N), and the presence or absence of distant metastases (M). There is a TNM staging algorithm for cancers of virtually every anatomic site and histology, with the primary exception of pediatric cancers. The clinical