Molecular imaging in management of colorectal metastases by the interventional oncologist

Abstract

Interventional oncologists provide several effective treatment options for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), including embolization and ablation-based techniques. Molecular imaging methods such as positron emission tomography (PET) can play an important role in managing mCRC patients. In this review, we aim to highlight the role of molecular imaging in mCRC management by interventional oncologists including: initial staging and pretreatment planning; predicting molecular subtypes, prognosis, and treatment outcomes; intraprocedural guidance; and assessing treatment response and post-procedural monitoring.

Keywords:

• Molecular imaging
• FDG-PET
• interventional oncology
• thermal ablation
• embolization

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Sofocleous for providing the intraprocedural PET-CT images for Figure 2.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.