Use of cumulative SUV volume histogram as a new tool to radiotherapy treatment monitoring

This study investigated the biological evolution of tumor volume, using [11C]-Methionine-PET (MET-PET) images. MET-PET diagnostic studies exams provide functional metabolic information about brain lesions impossible to obtain using other imaging technics.. Similarly to the radiotherapy Dose-Volume Histogram (DVH), the Cumulative SUV-volume Histogram (CSH) represents the percentage of tumor metabolic volume that is higher than a SUV threshold, variable from 0 to the maximum SUV value. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the CSH could be used as a tool for the treatment monitoring in stereotactic radiosurgery.