Episode 8: What Oncologists Look for in the Radiology Report

Dr. Lacey McIntosh discusses what Oncologists need in reports.

1. Staging - know where to look (based on primary site but also pathology)
2. Restaging - know what to expect (based on type of treatment - XRT, chemo, immunotherapy)
3. Big picture - same, better, worse; critical lesions that may require treatment (impending fractures, spinal cord involvement)
4. Chose words carefully - careful about using “progression” unless you are going to calculate that this meets RECIST criteria - consider using “increased tumor burden” instead

Resources:

Wang, G. X., Kurra, V., Gainor, J. F., Sullivan, R. J., Flaherty, K. T., Lee, S. I., & Fintelmann, F. J. (2017). Immune checkpoint inhibitor cancer therapy: spectrum of imaging findings. Radiographics, 37(7), 2132-2144.