Impact of (18)F-FET PET/MRI on Clinical Management of Brain Tumor Patients

Multiparametric PET/MRI with the amino-acid analog O-(2-(18)F-fluoroethyl)-l-tyrosine ((18)F-FET) enables the simultaneous assessment of molecular, morphologic, and functional brain tumor characteristics. Although it is considered the most accurate noninvasive approach in brain tumors, its relevance for patient management is still under debate. Here, we report the diagnostic performance of (18)F-FET PET/MRI and its impact on clinical management in a retrospective patient cohort. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed brain tumor patients who underwent (18)F-FET PET/MRI between 2017 and 2018. (18)F-FET PET/MRI examinations were indicated clinically because of equivocal standard imaging results or the clinical course. Histologic confirmation or clinical and standard imaging follow-up served as the reference standard. We evaluated (18)F-FET PET/MRI accuracy in identifying malignancy in untreated suspected lesions (category, new diagnosis) and true progression during adjuvant treatment (category, detection of progression) in a clinical setting. Using multiple regression, we also estimated the contribution of single modalities to produce an optimal PET/MRI outcome. We assessed the recommended and applied therapies before and after (18)F-FET PET/MRI and noted whether the treatment changed on the basis of the (18)F-FET PET/MRI outcome. Results: We included 189 patients in the study. (18)F-FET PET/MRI allowed the identification of malignancy at new diagnosis with an accuracy of 85% and identified true progression with an accuracy of 93%. Contrast enhancement, (18)F-FET PET uptake, and tracer kinetics were the major contributors to an optimal PET/MRI outcome. In the previously equivocal patients, (18)F-FET PET/MRI changed the clinical management in 33% of the untreated lesions and 53% of the cases of tumor progression. Conclusion: Our results suggest that (18)F-FET PET/MRI helps clarify equivocal conditions and profoundly supports the clinical management of brain tumor patients. The optimal modality setting for (18)F-FET PET/MRI and the clinical value of a simultaneous examination need further exploration. At a new diagnosis, multiparametric (18)F-FET PET/MRI might help prevent unnecessary invasive procedures by ruling out malignancy; however, adding static (18)F-FET PET to an already existing MRI examination seems to be of equal value. At detection of progression, multiparametric (18)F-FET PET/MRI may increase therapy effectiveness by distinguishing between tumor progression and therapy-related imaging alterations.