[Rational imaging of metastasized tumor diseases].

Most anticancer medications are effective only in subgroups of patients. Despite considerable improvements in histopathological and molecular pathological diagnostics, tumor response in the individual patient still remains unpredictable. Measuring tumor shrinkage by cross-sectional imaging procedures in patients with metastatic cancer represents the current standard for documenting the effectiveness of anticancer therapy. In addition to the large number of different imaging procedures computed tomography (CT) is certainly the best established and most widely available technique for assessing tumor response. This manuscript reviews the necessity and rationality of imaging procedures for monitoring tumor response in patients with metastatic cancer.