Paper of the Month February

Recent Updates on Molecular Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (MI-RADS) for Theranostic Radiotracers – Navigating Pitfalls of SSTR- and PSMA-Targeted PET/CT.

J Clin Med. 2019 Jul 19;8(7). pii: E1060.

Werner RA, Thackeray JT, Pomper MG, Bengel FM, Gorin MA, Derlin T, Rowe SP.

J Clin Med. 2019 Jul 19;8(7). pii: E1060.

doi: 10.3390/jcm8071060.

Link to Pubmed

Link to Journal (Open access)

Comment

Molecular imaging with specific tracers is becoming more widely available. For many years, somatostatine receptor (SSR) PET-imaging with gallium-68 labelled DOTA-compounds has replaced octreotide SPECT-imaging in patients with neuro-endocrine tumors. PSMA-PET-imaging has rapidly become the imaging method of choice to localize recurrent disease in patient with increasing PSA after initial treatment with curative intent, i.e. biochemical recurrence and has been implemented in current guidelines of prostate cancer management in this clinical setting.

With the success of the these imaging modalities, the number of available tracers has increased, including gallium-68 and fluorine-18 labeled compounds, which all have their specific advantages and disadvantages and differences in biodistribution. Also the number of PET-centers offering these imaging modalities has increased over the last years. As we have experienced with FDG-PET, we also need standardization of these molecular imaging techniques, regarding image acquisition, but also regarding read-out of the images. A more standardized way of reporting will also help referring physicians in interpreting our findings in the correct manner, thereby providing optimal treatment to the patient.

The current paper-of-the-month offers an open access case-based review of current standardized reporting systems for SSR- and PSMA-PET imaging, generally known as MI-RADS systems, and may trigger readers into reviewing their own style of reporting PSMA- and SSR-PET-images.

We hope you will appreciate the overview of this work presented in the slides.

The BELNUC board