Husband and Reznek's Imaging in Oncology Volume 1 PDF

Preface

Over the past several years, it has become clear that the optimal management of patients with cancer is best achieved by healthcare professionals working in a multidisciplinary team. During this evolution in cancer management, imaging technology has advanced markedly, largely but not wholly driven by expansion of computing power. Thus, multidetector computed tomography (CT) has become standard practice, allowing elegant, accurate 3D displays of anatomy and pathology, and new software for the accurate monitoring of treatment response has been introduced. In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, new sequences and faster gradients have been developed, and in positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) refinements in technology have made a major impact on cancer assessment. These two latter developments have combined to make the specialist radiologist central to the multidisciplinary team; an individual who understands the clinical questions posed by the clinician, is skilled in cancer imaging interpretation, and is familiar with all the relevant recent technological advances.

As with previous editions, the aim of Imaging in Oncology is to provide an up-to-date text that addresses all these aspects of cancer imaging. All chapters included in the third edition of Imaging in Oncology have been revised, often extensively, to include the application of state-of-the-art imaging and to review its application to modern approaches in the management of patients with cancer. References have been updated to provide the reader with a current bibliography.

As with previous editions, Imaging in Oncology is divided into nine sections. The first section covers the general principles of the management of patients with cancer. As allied disciplines have become more aware of the importance of imaging in patient management, this section now includes separate chapters on cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Current thinking on trends in cancer incidence and the development of second malignancies has been addressed and particular focus has been placed on new developments in the assessment of treatment response.

Section 2, Staging Disease, is the largest section of Imaging in Oncology.

Each tumor site is dealt with separately in a set format that includes a diagrammatic illustration of the staging system together with an explanation followed by an evaluation of the role of imaging in demonstrating the extent of the disease. As a thorough understanding of the diagnostic performance of different imaging techniques is a crucial component of the radiologist's role in the multidisciplinary team, this aspect is stressed throughout the text.

The introduction of new and more successful therapies for many different types of cancer has encouraged earlier recognition of recurrent disease and therefore each chapter includes a section on the patterns of recurrence and their characteristic findings. Equally, with more aggressive management of metastatic disease, great reliance is now placed on imaging for the accurate detection and delineation of metastases. Hence, this section has been updated to reflect modern imaging strategies and performance.

Since the second edition of Imaging in Oncology, great strides have been made in the localized treatment of tumors including targeted radiotherapy and percutaneous tumor ablation. These topics are considered in a separate section on "Imaging and Treatment."

Functional imaging is now becoming established as a valuable tool in the non-invasive assessment of metabolic and molecular processes, not only in the measurement of changes in response to therapy but also in the assessment of tumor aggressiveness and for targeting local therapies. MR imaging, CT, PET, and contrastenhanced ultrasound have all been developed to assess functional processes, and several protocols are now moving from the research setting into routine clinical practice where they can be of real practical benefit. In this edition of Imaging in Oncology the final section is devoted to the principles of functional imaging because we believe that it is critically important for all cancer radiologists to become familiar with functional imaging techniques, and to have a broad understanding of their current benefits and limitations in the evaluation of various tumor types.

As in previous editions, salient points within the text have been highlighted as "Key Points" and a short summary is included at the end of each chapter in the same format as the Key Points. Several chapters include, where appropriate, color diagrams produced by Dee McLean to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude for her outstanding work. No one has worked harder to bring this third edition to fruition than Mrs. Maureen Watts, Mrs. Julie Jessop, and Mrs. Janet Macdonald. All found time in their busy working lives to contribute outstandingly to this project. Mrs. Watts co-ordinated the project from start to finish for Janet Husband, Mrs. Jessop did the same for Rodney Reznek. Mrs. Macdonald scrutinized all the images, working tirelessly to ensure that the highest possible quality has been achieved throughout the book.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the enormous contribution of all the authors, and would like to thank them for sharing with us their valuable expertise and extensive experience. The high quality of their work has made the editing of this text informative, interesting, and a great pleasure.

We hope that this book will build on the previous editions of Imaging in Oncology to provide a useful reference text for all radiologists interested in cancer imaging. We hope too that it will make a contribution to the wider understanding of the ever increasing and constantly changing role that imaging plays in the management of patients with cancer.