Inflammatory Cytokines and Hypoxia Contribute to ¹⁸F-FDG Uptake by Cells Involved in Pannus Formation in Rheumatoid Arthritis

High-resolution18F-FDG PET/CT for assessing disease activity in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis: findings of a prospective pilot study

“…One subject had severe OA of the first CMC joint (Eaton stage III 25 ) based on prior radiographs. For this subject, the SUV max for the first CMC joint was 5.50 and the MAV was 6.81 cm 3 . For the other two subjects, early OA (Eaton stage I/II) of the CMC joint was noted from prior radiographs and corresponded to an average SUV max of 1.99 and an MAV of 2.35 cm 3 .…”

“…For this subject, the SUV max for the first CMC joint was 5.50 and the MAV was 6.81 cm 3 . For the other two subjects, early OA (Eaton stage I/II) of the CMC joint was noted from prior radiographs and corresponded to an average SUV max of 1.99 and an MAV of 2.35 cm 3 . In one patient, the proximal aspect of the first metacarpal presented with erosive changes ( Figure 5).…”

“…The activated immune cells secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-a, interleukin-17 etc.) which significantly upregulate glucose metabolism in fibroblasts and activated macrophages 2,3 and contribute to the formation of bone-resorbing "pannus", a hallmark feature of the diseases. 4 The positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG)-a glucose analogue-is taken up by cells with elevated glucose utilization and is therefore particularly suited for imaging cells mounting an immune response in inflammatory arthritis.…”

Immunologic pathomechanism of Hodgkin's lymphoma

“…A relation between FDG uptake and transporter expression of the tumor cells could not be found. FDG uptake is influenced much more by the microenvironment; therefore, current therapeutic decisions are based more on the metabolic activity of the background in PET positive cases than on the tumor cells [76]. This evidence provides a rationale for developing novel therapies that target the tumorinfiltrating background.…”

Potential of PET-MRI for imaging of non-oncologic musculoskeletal disease

“…Further, it has been shown that early changes in regional FDG uptake in RA patients undergoing anti-TNF-α (infliximab) treatment were related to global disease activity in later clinical assessment. Animal models of RA have also been used to show that areas of increased FDG uptake correlated with future bone destruction and pannus formation seen on histology (80). While these preliminary studies suggest that FDG is highly predictive of early disease activity, larger studies are needed to confirm that these findings predict clinical outcomes.…”