PhD Conferral Mrs. Evelyn E.C. de Jong, MSc.

Keywords: image properties, stage IV-lung cancer, PET/CT, prognosis, therapy response

“Image features for the future in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer”

The survival rate in lung cancer depends on the stage of the disease. Patients with metastasis are classified as stage IV. The 5-year survival rate among stage IV-patients is less than 10%. Prognostic and predictive models can guide to treatment choices allowing the balance between side effects, prognosis and quality of life to optimize an individual’s needs. Image features such as the activity (SUV) of a positon emission topography (PET) and the intensity (HU) of a computer tomography (CT) have the potential to improve these models. This thesis investigates the use of PET and CT image features of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer patients. Its goal is to determine the patients’ prognosis. Methodological challenges in image feature studies have been studied as well.