In the treatment of patients suffering from
malignant glioma, it is a paramount importance to deliver a high radiation dose to the
tumor on the one hand and to spare organs at risk at one the other in order to achieve a sufficient
tumor control and to avoid severe side effects. New
radiation therapy techniques have emerged like
intensity modulated radiotherapy and
image guided radiotherapy that help facilitate this aim. In addition, there are advanced imaging techniques like Positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/CT which can help localize the
tumor with higher sensitivity, and thus contribute to
therapy planning,
tumor control, and follow-up. During
follow-up care, it is crucial to differentiate between recurrence and treatment-associated, unspecific lesions, like radiation
necrosis. Here, too, PET/CT can facilitate in differentiating
tumor relapse from unspecific changes. This review article will discuss
therapy response criteria according to the current imaging methods like Magnet resonance imaging, CT, and PET/CT. It will focus on the significance of PET in the clinical management for treatment and follow-up.