Long Axial Field-of-View PET/CT Could Answer Unmet Needs in Gynecological Cancers

Abstract

Gynecological malignancies currently affect about 3.5 million women all over the world. Imaging of uterine, cervical, vaginal, ovarian, and vulvar cancer still presents several unmet needs when using conventional modalities such as ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance, and standard positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. Some of the current diagnostic limitations are represented by differential diagnosis between inflammatory and cancerous findings, detection of peritoneal carcinomatosis and metastases <1 cm, detection of cancer-associated vascular complications, effective assessment of post-therapy changes, as well as bone metabolism and osteoporosis assessment. As a result of recent advances in PET/CT instrumentation, new systems now offer a long-axial field-of-view (LAFOV) to image between 106 cm and 194 cm (i.e., total-body PET) of the patient’s body simultaneously and feature higher physical sensitivity and spatial resolution compared to standard PET/CT systems. LAFOV PET could overcome the forementioned limitations of conventional imaging and provide valuable global disease assessment, allowing for improved patient-tailored care. This article provides a comprehensive overview of these and other potential applications of LAFOV PET/CT imaging for patients with gynecological malignancies.

Long-axial field-of-view PET/CT for the assessment of inflammation in calcified coronary artery plaques with [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC

“…Moreover, increased [ 68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC uptake in coronary arteries correlated with the global- and LAD- CACS. In this context, we report higher TBR compared to the previous report by Rominger et al (our TBR: 1.65 ± 0.53; Rominger et al: 1.21 ± 0.30);, which may reflect the noise reduction and increased sensitivity of a LAFOV PET system [ 9 , 10 , 26 , 34 ]. However, also differences in the clinical status of their patients may have impacted these results, and this may also explain why TBR in our study was generally lower than reported by Mojtahedi et al (2.04 ± 1.76).…”

Potential Clinical Impact of LAFOV PET/CT: A Systematic Evaluation of Image Quality and Lesion Detection

“…Detailed physical characterization, according to the NEMA NU 2-2018 standard, of both the uEXPLORER [21] and the Biograph Vision Quadra [22] also showed increased sensitivity. Thus, adjustment of the current clinical imaging protocols should be implemented, as has already been stated in various studies [23][24][25][26][27][28]. With the potential for improved radiation protection, lesion detection, and general work-flow efficiency, clinical performance requires proper evaluation.…”