SNMMI: PET/MR surpasses PET/CT gold standard for recurrent prostate cancer
PET/MR scans demonstrated a higher capacity for mapping recurrent prostate cancer by finding more areas of prostate cancer metastases than hybrid PET/CT imaging, according to the results of a study presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging’s 2013 annual meeting in Vancouver.
The combination of PET and functional MRI provided complementary information to offer more precise localization of recurrence, according to Matthias Eiber, MD, of TU Muenchen in Munich, and colleagues.
The study included 31 prostate cancer patients who underwent both PET/CT and PET/MR for restaging recurrence. PET imaging was conducted with a single injection of C-11 choline, a naturally occurring B vitamin complex that binds with metastatic tumors. PET/CT was conducted five minutes after injection and PET/MR was conducted 51 minutes after injection. Scans were interpreted separately and lesions were classified based on likelihood of metastasis.
Results showed that PET/MR found 17 areas of prostate cancer metastases in 12 patients, compared with PET/CT, which found 12 areas of prostate cancer metastases in eight patients, according to the researchers. PET/MR also outpaced PET/CT in detection of both lymph node and bone metastases. PET/MR found 42 lymph node metastases compared with 39 for PET/CT, and for bone metastases, PET/MR found 17 while PET/CT found 14.
PET/MR also offered a shorter scan time and lower radiation exposure, making it a conceivable alternative to PET/CT for restaging prostate metastases, according to the researchers. By better mapping recurrent prostate cancer, the technique could aid in treatment decision making.
“In principle, whole-body integrated PET/MR is a technique that is officially commercially available; however, so far only a limited number of these scanners have been installed worldwide,” Eiber said in a press release. “Showing a concrete example of how combining PET and functional MR imaging benefits patients with metastatic prostate cancer could potentially motivate continued PET/MR research in this field.”
Evan joined TriMed in 2011, writing primarily for Health Imaging. Prior to diving into medical journalism, Evan worked for the Nine Network of Public Media in St. Louis. He also has worked in public relations and education. Evan studied journalism at the University of Missouri, with an emphasis on broadcast media.