Lopes, Susana IsabelFerreira, SaraCaetano, Marco2021-03-272021-03-272021-06Lopes SI, Ferreira S, Caetano M. PET/CT in the evaluation of hypoxia for radiotherapy planning in head and neck tumors: systematic literature review. J Nucl Med Technol. 2021;49(2):107-13.http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/13161Introduction: PET/CT combines the molecular with the anatomical level which, with the administration of a hypoxia-sensitive radiopharmaceutical, allows the evaluation of tissue oxygenation. Materials and Methods: The work consists of a systematic literature review, including electronic addresses, books, and articles dating from July 1997 to December 2019. The aim of this work is to identify the best-suited PET radiopharmaceuticals for the detection of cell hypoxia and recognize the benefits for treatment planning with IMRT/VMAT techniques. Results: Hypoxia affects the likelihood of cure of head and neck tumors, thereby reducing the success rate. Radiopharmaceuticals such as 18F-FMISO, 18F-FETNIM, and 18F-HX4 allow the delineation of hypoxic subvolumes within the target volume to optimize IMRT/VMAT treatment. Discussion: The identification of hypoxia areas with PET/CT imaging and subsequent treatment with IMRT/VMAT allows a possible radiation dose escalation in radioresistant subvolumes. Conclusion: There is a decrease in relapses and an increased likelihood of disease-free survival.engMolecular imagingOncology, Head and neckPET/CTRadiopharmaceuticalsHead and neck tumoursHypoxic cellsRadiotherapyTreatment planningjournal article10.2967/jnmt.120.249540