Interim 18F-FDG-PET/CT during chemo-radiotherapy in the management of oesophageal cancer patients. A systematic review

The present review assembles the comprehensive literature of the last decade to evaluate whether and in which cases PETint may offer predictive potential in oesophageal cancer. All the analysed studies (13 studies, 697 patients) denoted PETint as a challenging examination for early assessment of outcomes during CRT. In particular, 8 studies advocated the predictivity of PETint, whilst 5 did not find any correlation between the interim variation of PET parameters and the pathological complete response and/or the clinical outcome. The reasons that possibly have caused contradictions among the studies demand further research with prospective and uniform protocols and methods of analysis to assess the predictive and prognostic value of PETint in oesophageal cancer.