Editorial Board Member Collection Series: “Image-Guided Interventions in Cancer: From Biopsies to Therapies”

Dear Colleagues,

The continuously increasing accuracy that can be achieved by clinical diagnostic disciplines such as radiology, nuclear medicine, and pathology is increasing due to the emergence of new applications of biomedical optics. This evolution has set the stage to extend the role that imaging plays in patient management. For example, modern imaging has the potential to guide (therapeutic) interventions and to help guide precision therapy. These interventions can be performed by the medical disciplines of, e.g., interventional radiology and nuclear medicine as well as surgery and radiotherapy. In addition to being guided by more traditional radiological and nuclear medicine modalities, there has been a rapid rise in the interventional use of magnetic and optical approaches, the latter including fluorescence-guided surgery and photodynamic therapy. Given the plurality of the diagnostic imaging techniques available for initial staging, each clinical challenge can be met with a tailored image guidance solution. The type of primary cancer or (nodal) metastases lesions being targeted may also substantially influence the choice of imaging guidance strategy. In general, however, in clinic pre-operative imaging, e.g., MRI, CT, PET/CT, and diffuse optical, imaging acts as a roadmap that treating physicians can use to navigate towards the target, representing a process that can be facilitated by “gps-like” navigation platforms. During the intervention itself, secondary modalities, e.g., (cone-beam) CT, US, radio, or optical guidance, are used to zoom in on the target and to assure that accurate treatment is delivered. In all cases, the fluent connection of pre-intervention and interventional imaging strategies poses specific technical challenges that demand the development of new imaging technologies. To make sure imaging strategies are accepted in routine clinical care, evidence that underscores how and to what extent image guidance creates a positive impact needs to be collected.

This Special Issue aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the most recent (technical) advances in the field of image-guided oncological interventions. For a variety of cancers and interventions, we will cover the in vivo use of innovative image guidance technologies for a wide range of modalities. Translational efforts and work that demonstrate the benefits for patients and/or treating physicians is of particular interest.

Prof. Dr. Fijs W.B. Van Leeuwen
Prof. Dr. Timothy C. Zhu
Guest Editors

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