Abstract

In the past decade, the field of cancer imaging has continued to expand and grow in response to new challenges posed by our increasing understanding of the molecular basis of cancer and introduction of novel targeted treatments to the clinic. Technological advancement in imaging software and hardware has enabled more rapid acquisition and processing of images, which has led to the growth of functional imaging techniques. We are now able to apply a number of imaging techniques in oncological practice for early diagnosis of disease, detection of small volume disease, providing a roadmap for treatment planning, enabling novel assessment of treatment response, as well as for disease prognostication. However there are a number of imaging challenges which are currently unmet. There is a need for continued validation and qualification of imaging biomarkers using histology, patient outcome data and corroborative multi-parametric imaging. There is a recognised gap in translating imaging findings to treatment delivery, particularly in radiotherapy. There is also a desire to move from simplistic unidimensional tumour burden estimates to volumetric disease quantification across the body. Last but not least, the presence of physiological motion continues to pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges to pinpoint biologically relevant disease for focussed treatments.