The Additional Value of 18F-FDG PET and MRI in Patients with Glioma: A Review of the Literature from 2015 to 2020

Natale Quartuccio; Riccardo Laudicella; Antonio Vento; Salvatore Pignata; Maria Vittoria Mattoli; Rossella Filice; Alessio Danilo Comis; Annachiara Arnone; Sergio Baldari; Manlio Cabria; Angelina Cistaro

doi:10.3390/diagnostics10060357

The Additional Value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET and MRI in Patients with Glioma: A Review of the Literature from 2015 to 2020

Diagnostics (Basel). 2020 May 29;10(6):357. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics10060357.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Nuclear Medicine Unit, A.R.N.A.S. Ospedali Civico, Di Cristina e Benfratelli, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
² Committee of AIMN Pediatric Study Group, 20159 Milan, Italy.
³ Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
⁴ AIMN -Italian Association of Nuclear Medicine- Young Members Working Group, 20159 Milan, Italy.
⁵ Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
⁶ Nuclear Medicine Department, Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Galliera, Italy, Mura delle Cappuccine, 14, 16128 Genova, Italy.
⁷ Committee of AIMN Neuroimaging Study Group, 20159 Milan, Italy.
⁸ Coordinator of AIMN Paediatric Study Group, 20159 Milan, Italy.

Abstract

Aim: Beyond brain computed tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) hold paramount importance in neuro-oncology. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the literature from 2015 to 2020, showing advantages or complementary information of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) PET imaging to the anatomical and functional data offered by MRI in patients with glioma.

Methods: A comprehensive Pubmed/MEDLINE literature search was performed to retrieve original studies, with a minimum of 10 glioma patients, published from 2015 until the end of April 2020, on the use of ¹⁸F-FDG PET in conjunction with MRI.

Results: Twenty-two articles were selected. Combined use of the two modalities improves the accuracy in predicting prognosis, planning treatments, and evaluating recurrence.

Conclusion: According to the recent literature, ¹⁸F-FDG PET provides different and complementary information to MRI and may enhance performance in the whole management of gliomas. Therefore, integrated PET/MRI may be particularly useful in gliomas, since it could provide accurate morphological and metabolic information in one-shoot examination and improve the diagnostic value compared to each of procedures.

Keywords: 18F-FDG; MRI; PET; glioma.

Publication types

Review