Optimization of whole-body 2-[18F]FDG-PET/MRI imaging protocol for the initial staging of patients with myeloma

Symptomatic Myeloma: PET, Whole-Body MR Imaging with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging or Both

According to international guidelines, patients with suspected myeloma should primarily undergo low-dose whole-body computed tomography (CT) for diagnostic purposes. To optimize sensitivity and specificity and enable treatment response assessment, whole-body MR (WB-MR) imaging should include diffusion-weighted imaging with apparent diffusion coefficient maps and T1-weighted Dixon sequences with bone marrow Fat Fraction Quantification. At baseline WB-MR imaging shows greater sensitivity for the detecting focal lesions and diffuse bone marrow infiltration pattern than 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT, which is considered of choice for evaluating response to treatment and minimal residual disease and imaging of extramedullary disease.

EANM guidelines on the use of [18F]FDG PET/CT in diagnosis, staging, prognostication, therapy assessment, and restaging of plasma cell disorders

We provide updated guidance and standards for the indication, acquisition, and interpretation of [18F]FDG PET/CT for plasma cell disorders. Procedures and characteristics are reported and different scenarios for the clinical use of [18F]FDG PET/CT are discussed. This document provides clinicians and technicians with the best available evidence to support the implementation of [18F]FDG PET/CT imaging in routine practice and future research.

International EANM-SNMMI-ISMRM consensus recommendation for PET/MRI in oncology

PREAMBLE

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and professional organization founded in 1954 to promote the science, technology, and practical application of nuclear medicine. The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) is a professional non-profit medical association that facilitates communication worldwide between individuals pursuing clinical and research excellence in nuclear medicine. The EANM was founded in 1985. The merged International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) is an international, nonprofit, scientific association whose purpose is to promote communication, research, development, and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine and biology and other related topics and to develop and provide channels and facilities for continuing education in the field.The ISMRM was founded in 1994 through the merger of the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Society of Magnetic Resonance Imaging. SNMMI, ISMRM, and EANM members are physicians, technologists, and scientists specializing in the research and practice of nuclear medicine and/or magnetic resonance imaging. The SNMMI, ISMRM, and EANM will periodically define new guidelines for nuclear medicine practice to help advance the science of nuclear medicine and/or magnetic resonance imaging and to improve the quality of service to patients throughout the world. Existing practice guidelines will be reviewed for revision or renewal, as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary or sooner, if indicated. Each practice guideline, representing a policy statement by the SNMMI/EANM/ISMRM, has undergone a thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to extensive review. The SNMMI, ISMRM, and EANM recognize that the safe and effective use of diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging and magnetic resonance imaging requires specific training, skills, and techniques, as described in each document. Reproduction or modification of the published practice guideline by those entities not providing these services is not authorized. These guidelines are an educational tool designed to assist practitioners in providing appropriate care for patients. They are not inflexible rules or requirements of practice and are not intended, nor should they be used, to establish a legal standard of care. For these reasons and those set forth below, the SNMMI, the ISMRM, and the EANM caution against the use of these guidelines in litigation in which the clinical decisions of a practitioner are called into question. The ultimate judgment regarding the propriety of any specific procedure or course of action must be made by the physician or medical physicist in light of all the circumstances presented. Thus, there is no implication that an approach differing from the guidelines, standing alone, is below the standard of care. To the contrary, a conscientious practitioner may responsibly adopt a course of action different from that set forth in the guidelines when, in the reasonable judgment of the practitioner, such course of action is indicated by the condition of the patient, limitations of available resources, or advances in knowledge or technology subsequent to publication of the guidelines. The practice of medicine includes both the art and the science of the prevention, diagnosis, alleviation, and treatment of disease. The variety and complexity of human conditions make it impossible to always reach the most appropriate diagnosis or to predict with certainty a particular response to treatment. Therefore, it should be recognized that adherence to these guidelines will not ensure an accurate diagnosis or a successful outcome. All that should be expected is that the practitioner will follow a reasonable course of action based on current knowledge, available resources, and the needs of the patient to deliver effective and safe medical care. The sole purpose of these guidelines is to assist practitioners in achieving this objective.

New Developments in Myeloma Treatment and Response Assessment

Recent innovative strategies have dramatically redefined the therapeutic landscape for treating multiple myeloma patients. In particular, the development and application of immunotherapy and high-dose therapy have demonstrated high response rates and have prolonged remission duration. Over the past decade, new morphologic or hybrid imaging techniques have gradually replaced conventional skeletal surveys. PET/CT using 18F-FDG is a powerful imaging tool for the workup at diagnosis and for therapeutic evaluation allowing medullary and extramedullary assessment. The independent negative prognostic value for progression-free and overall survival derived from baseline PET-derived parameters such as the presence of extramedullary disease or paramedullary disease, as well as the number of focal bone lesions and SUVmax, has been reported in several large prospective studies. During therapeutic evaluation, 18F-FDG PET/CT is considered the reference imaging technique because it can be performed much earlier than MRI, which lacks specificity. Persistence of significant abnormal 18F-FDG uptake after therapy is an independent negative prognostic factor, and 18F-FDG PET/CT and medullary flow cytometry are complementary tools for detecting minimal residual disease before maintenance therapy. The definition of a PET metabolic complete response has recently been standardized and the interpretation criteria harmonized. The development of advanced PET analysis and radiomics using machine learning, as well as hybrid imaging with PET/MRI, offers new perspectives for multiple myeloma imaging. Most recently, innovative radiopharmaceuticals such as C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4-targeted small molecules and anti-CD38 radiolabeled antibodies have shown promising results for tumor phenotype imaging and as potential theranostics.

Clinical Value of FDG-PET/CT in Multiple Myeloma: An Update

FDG-PET/CT is a standardized imaging technique that has reached a great importance in the management of patients affected by Multiple Myeloma. It is proved, in fact, that it allows a deep evaluation of therapy efficacy and provides several prognostic indexes both at staging and after therapy. For this reason, it is now recognised as a gold standard for therapy assessment. Beside this, in reacent years FDG-PET/CT contribution to the understanding of Multiple Myeloma has progressively grown. Papers have been published analyzing the prognostic value of active disease volume measurement and standardization issues, the meaning of FDG positive paramedullary and extrameduallary disease, the prognostic impact of FDG positive minimal residual disease, the relation between focal lesions and clonal eterogenity of this disease and the comparison with whole body DWI-MR in terms of detection and therapy assessment. These newer aspects not of clinical impact yet, of FDG-PET/CT in Multiple Myeloma will be presented and discussed in this review.