State-of-the-art molecular imaging in esophageal cancer management: implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment

Molecular imaging techniques are increasingly being used in addition to standard imaging methods such as endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and computed tomography (CT) for many cancers including those of the esophagus. In this review, we will discuss the utility of the most widely used molecular imaging technique, ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). ¹⁸F-FDG PET has a variety of potential applications ranging from improving staging accuracy at the time of initial diagnosis to assisting in radiation target volume delineation. Furthermore, ¹⁸F-FDG PET can be used to evaluate treatment response after completion of neoadjuvant therapy or potentially during neoadjuvant therapy. Finally, we will also discuss other novel molecular imaging techniques that have potential to further improve cancer care.