INTER-ORGAN PET

Cancer is a devastating disease. More fundamentally, it is a systemic disease that in addition to presenting tumorous lesions can affect multiple organs. The function of organs can be assessed by measuring metabolic signals. This is possible in 3D (and even 4D)_ by using a special nuclear medicinine imaging technique, called positron emission tomography (PET). Our research projects evaluates if and how we can employ PET imaging in the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of breast cancer patients. We use data that are available from two renown institutes (Paris and Vienna), and for which reference data (breast cancer present? Yes/no, and what type of breast cancer) to train our prediction models. We employ artificial intelligence and graph analysis methods, together also referred to as network analysis. We hope to demonstrate that through this special analysis and assessing metabolic profiles of not only the breast cancer itself but also that of multiple organs, we can define this type of tumour more accurately and help provide essential information for improved clinical decision making. As such, this project can add to understanding of malignant diseases and of personalizing medicine through the use of non-invasive PET image data.