PET/MRI in cancer patients: first experiences and vision from Copenhagen

MAGMA. 2013 Feb;26(1):37-47. doi: 10.1007/s10334-012-0357-0. Epub 2012 Dec 25.

Abstract

Combined PET/MRI systems are now commercially available and are expected to change the medical imaging field by providing combined anato-metabolic image information. We believe this will be of particular relevance in imaging of cancer patients. At the Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine & PET at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen we installed an integrated PET/MRI in December 2011. Here, we describe our first clinical PET/MR cases and discuss some of the areas within oncology where we envision promising future application of integrated PET/MR imaging in clinical routine. Cases described include brain tumors, pediatric oncology as well as lung, abdominal and pelvic cancer. In general the cases show that PET/MRI performs well in all these types of cancer when compared to PET/CT. However, future large-scale clinical studies are needed to establish when to use PET/MRI. We envision that PET/MRI in oncology will prove to become a valuable addition to PET/CT in diagnosing, tailoring and monitoring cancer therapy in selected patient populations.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Child
  • Contrast Media
  • Denmark
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / instrumentation
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / instrumentation
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Contrast Media
  • Radiopharmaceuticals