The Impact of PET/CT on Paediatric Oncology.

This review paper will discuss the use of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in paediatric oncology. Functional imaging with PET/CT has proven useful to guide treatment by accurately staging disease and limiting unnecessary treatments by determining the metabolic response to treatment. 18 F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (2-[ 18 F]FDG) PET/CT is routinely used in patients with lymphoma. We highlight specific considerations in the paediatric population with lymphoma. The strengths and weaknesses for PET/CT tracers that compliment Meta -[ 123 I]iodobenzylguanidine ([ 123 I]mIBG) for the imaging of neuroblastoma are summarized. 2-[ 18 F]FDG PET/CT has increasingly been used in the staging and evaluation of disease response in sarcomas. The current recommendations for the use of PET/CT in sarcomas are given and potential future developments and highlighted. 2-[ 18 F]FDG PET/CT in combination with conventional imaging is currently the standard for disease evaluation in children with Langerhans-cell Histiocytosis (LCH) and the non-LCH disease spectrum. The common pitfalls of 2-[ 18 F]FDG PET/CT in this setting are discussed.