COMPARISON OF IBI AND PBI CALCULATED FOR 68GA-PSMA AND 18F-FDG IN MULTIPLE MYELOMA PATIENTS

Abstract

Introduction/Justification

The benefits of using 18F-FDG PET/CT for staging and managing treatment in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are extensively documented. Recent studies indicate that 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT is also an excellent marker for MM lesions and may complement 18F-FDG due to the significant genetic heterogeneity observed in these patients' lesions. The involvement of bone tissue stands out as one of the most critical aspects of MM. To quantify this involvement, two quantitative parameters have recently been proposed: Percentage of Bone Involvement (PBI) and Intensity of Bone Involvement (IBI).

Objectives

This study aims to compare PBI and IBI in 68Ga-PSMA and 18F-FDG PET/CT images for multiple myeloma patients.

Materials and Methods

Fifteen patients were included in the study, 8 men (53.3%), with a mean age of 66.7 ± 10.7 years. The patients underwent 68Ga-PSMA and 18F-FDG PET/CT scans with a maximum interval of 8 days between images (median 4 days). The bone tissue was segmented in the images based on the Hounsfield scale of the CT image, followed by processing for closing of the volume of interest (VOI). Both PBI and IBI were calculated for the two radiotracers, with the liver SUV used as a reference for 18F-FDG and the left atrium as a reference for 68Ga-PSMA. Spearman's rank-order correlation assessed the relationship between PBI and IBI data.

Results

On average, PBI values were higher for 68Ga-PSMA than for FDG, at 3.07% ± 2.5% and 1.96% ± 3.8%, respectively. The mean IBI values were similar for both radiotracers: 0.08 ± 0.13 for 18F-FDG and 0.08 ± 0.09 for 68Ga-PSMA. The median IBI calculated for 68Ga-PSMA was 0.05, higher than the 0.01 found for 18F-FDG. Despite the similarity in average values between 68Ga-PSMA and 18F-FDG, the maximum PBI and IBI values were found in different patients for both radiotracers. Additionally, the Spearman test did not indicate correlation between the variables: (r = 0.39; p = 0.16) for PBI and (r = 0.41; p = 0.13) for IBI.

Conclusion

The average and maximum values of PBI and IBI for 68Ga-PSMA and 18F-FDG are close. However, no correlation was found between them, highlighting that the heterogeneous genetic profile of the disease results in different uptake patterns for both radiotracers.