Imaging of oligometastatic disease in selected urologic cancers

BACKGROUND Local treatment of the primary or metastatic sites in urologic malignancies is promising when compared to systemic therapy alone, leading to the definition of a potentially curative oligometastatic state. OBJECTIVES Comparison of imaging modalities regarding local and metastatic tumor sites in urologic cancers. METHODS Review of comparative trials addressing quality criteria of imaging modalities. RESULTS Depending on primary tumor and metastatic site, conventional imaging modalities such as computer tomography (CT) and bone scintigraphy still represent the standard of care in Germany. Due to superior quality criteria, hybrid-imaging techniques were widely adopted for oncological staging and particular due to the new PSMA-ligand (PSMA-PET/CT) in prostate cancer imaging. The development of new radioisotopes as well as their clinical application remains a focus of current research. CONCLUSIONS High-quality diagnostic imaging modalities lay the groundwork for a precise definition of an oligometastatic state. By enabling treatment of the entire tumor burden, a delay of systemic therapy, longer progression-free survival, or even curative treatment may become achievable.