PET/MRI in gynecological tumors

The diagnostic approach to gynecological tumors includes anatomical and molecular imaging methods, representing a strong support for clinicians to define tumor extension, to plan the best treatment strategy and patient management. The possibility of combining morphological and functional information in a single examination, using hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) technique, represents a very promising tool in the different settings of gynaecologic tumors. In the present review, the current literature and potential clinical applications of PET/MRI in the most common types of gynecological tumors are discussed. The role of PET/MRI is in staging, restaging and after treatment of gynecological tumors is presented, focusing on cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancer. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of PET/MRI and the correlation between quantitative parameters (standardized uptake value and apparent diffusion coefficient) of PET/MRI hybrid systems are briefly reviewed.