A new IAEA e-learning course presents the revised and updated guidelines in PET–CT for the Management of Cancer Patients: a Review of the Existing Evidence. (Photo: IAEA)
The IAEA has released a new e-learning course to help medical imaging specialists, oncologists and policymakers use a diagnostic tool that combines positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET-CT) in the management of cancer patients.
The course, which is based on the evidence and consensus guidelines from the IAEA’s human health programme, aims to ensure that PET-CT is used optimally and appropriately in clinical settings.
“In oncology, positron emission tomography has become the standard of care for many cancers and tumours. When combined with computed tomography, it enables physicians to gain a more accurate understanding of disease location and activity,” said Diana Paez, Head of Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging at the IAEA. “Yet despite its proven benefits in delivering more precise and personalized cancer care, PET-CT remains largely inaccessible in many low and middle-income countries. It is essential that available imaging technologies are used appropriately and effectively, ensuring that patients everywhere can benefit from timely and accurate diagnosis.”
To address this need, the IAEA has published PET–CT for the Management of Cancer Patients: A Review of the Existing Evidence, which draws on current medical literature to provide broad recommendations on when and where PET-CT can support cancer management.
To further support member countries, the IAEA’s accessible e-learning course summarizes PET-CT’s use in diagnosing cancer, identifying its stage, evaluating its response to multimodal therapies, detecting a suspected recurrence, conducting regular follow-ups and planning radiotherapy.
The course reviews diagnostic performance and clinical impact for 13 cancer categories:
The course also highlights when PET-CT is recommended for planning theranostics — an approach which combines radionuclides for diagnosis and treatment — in prostate cancer, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, neuroblastomas and more.
“By going through the course sequentially or focusing on a specific type of cancer, physicians can readily see where PET-CT adds value,” said Amir Eskander, an IAEA radiologist and one of the officers responsible for the course. “It helps clinicians know when they should or should not use this technology for each of the different steps of the oncology patient care process. As a handy resource, the course supplements the IAEA’s updated guidelines and promotes the proper utilization of PET-CT, at the right time for the right patient.”
Learners from around the world can freely review all the common indications of PET-CT in clinical oncology. (Photo: IAEA)
Medical imaging specialists, healthcare providers and policymakers across the globe can freely access the new e-learning course on demand via the IAEA Human Health Campus.
