Table 10 Overview of identified low-value whole body imaging for staging and follow-up in oncology

Cancer staging

PET/CT

Endometrial

Low diagnostic accuracy

[244]

Pure ground glass nodular adenocarcinomas

No additional information

[58]

Non-colorectal gastrointestinal

11.2% change in patient management

[235]

Adenocarcinoma Early Esophageal

Low diagnostic accuracy

[237]

CT

Localized Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma

No new information

CT is unnecessary in combination with PET/CT

[245]

Multiparametric MRI

Prostate (low risk)

No change in management

[234]

Bone scan

Prostate (low risk)

 < 1% of bone scans gave relevant information

PET/CT and prostate-specific antigen gives better metastasis detection

[251,252,253]

Prostate cancer (radical prostatectomy]

52% change in patient management

[254]

CT and PET/CT

Melanoma

No change in staging based on imaging

[241]

High-Risk Melanoma

18% change in patient management

[236]

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma

2% relevant findings

[243]

CT, PET, MRI, bone scan

Breast

0.8% risk of distant metastases

15% clinically relevant findings

[238]

[242]

Follow-up

Post treatment CT, PET, MRI, bone scan

Breast

No increased disease detection < 12 months after treatment

[250]

[246]

Post treatment PET/CT

Early-Stage, Non-bulky Hodgkin Lymphoma

Low risk of disease recurrence

[239]

Breast

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Hodgkin disease Colorectal

Melanoma

Lung

31.6% of inappropriate imaging changed patient management

[247]

Surveillance PET/CT

Esophageal

Does not improve 2-year survival

[240]

Lung

Does not improve 2-year survival

[240]

Post treatment CT and PET/CT

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

1.6–1.8% change in patient management

[248]

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

22.1% relevant findings

[249]