Positron Emission Tomography is an invaluable and perhaps most important tool for assessing cancer in vivo. Dr. Burrell provides a quick overview of the types of imaging used in oncology, specifically describing the role of PET in each stage of the therapy cycle. A brief history of PET is given, together with the basic physics and a glance at radiopharmaceutical use in oncology. The potential role of PET from diagnosis through staging, therapy planning, post-therapy evaluation and followup is discussed and many case studies presented.

In keeping with the goals of the MITNEC program, Dr. Mercer discusses the roles of radiopharmaceuticals in PET and SPECT imaging. Flourine-based FDG is by far the most common of the imaging probes and is suitable for most cases, but it is not appropriate for all types of cancer. Other imaging probes have been developed for specific purposes and new probes are being investigated for enhanced pathology differentiation. The process of novel radiopharmaceutical development is discussed, together with case studies of Edmonton-based developments and current trends in research.