Tsuyoshi Suga, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Yuji Nakamoto MD, PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Tatsuya Higashi MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Tsuneo Saga MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Tadashi Hara, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Kaori Togashi MD, Abstract Co-Author: Research funded, Nihon Medi-Physics Co, Ltd Research funded, Eisai Co, Ltd Research funded, Bayer AG Research funded, DAIICHI SANKYO Group Research funded, Covidien AG Research funded, Toshiba Corporation Research funded, Canon Inc Research funded, FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of positron emission tomography (PET) using F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with musculoskeletal malignancies in terms of additional information to other imaging modalities and clinical impact for therapeutic management.

Eighteen patients (aging from 17 to 83, mean 57 years old) who had musculoskeletal malignancies and underwent whole-body FDG PET scans between May 2005 and September 2007 were included in this study. The purposes of these scans were as follows: 4 scans for staging or restaging, 5 for evaluating therapeutic effect, and 9 for follow-up after complete therapy. The PET findings were evaluated in terms of additional information and clinical impact. The histopathological findings, clinical courses, including radiological results, were used as standard reference.

For staging or restaging in four patients, an additional finding was obtained by PET in one case, in which metastasis to the paraaortic node was suspected; however, it turned out to be false positive by subsequent radiological results. None of five scans for evaluation of therapeutic effect had additional information or impact on management. In nine patients during follow-up, additional findings to other modalities were acquired in two cases: one pulmonary metastasis, being subsequently resected, and one paraaortic nodal metastasis, which has been observed without any intervention. It is considered that the former one was the only case where PET had clinical impact in this study. Thus, additional findings were found in three patients (17%), and PET affected management in only one patient (6%).

Our preliminary data indicate that FDG-PET could give additional findings to conventional modalities in patients with musculoskeletal malignancies, but cases in which PET findings affected therapeutic management might be limited in this investigation.

Additional findings and clinical impact could be obtained by FDG-PET, but the cases where PET affected therapeutic management might be limited in patients with musculoskeletal malignancies. 

Suga, T, Nakamoto, Y, Higashi, T, Saga, T, Hara, T, Togashi, K, Clinical Value of FDG-PET for Musculoskeletal Malignancies.  Radiological Society of North America 2008 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, February 18 - February 20, 2008 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2008/6014344.html