Indications in Which PET/MRI Is Favorable to PET/CT, Depending on Tumor Entity
Most frequent site of metastases* | PET/MRI is relevant for (favorable to PET/CT)… | |||||
Tumor entity | Brain | Lung | Liver | Bone | Staging category | Special objective/prognostic factor |
Soft-tissue sarcoma | — | + | + | — | T/M | Tumor size and depth of infiltration defines T category; muscular, neurovascular, and bone invasion |
Primary bone tumors | — | + | — | — | T | Presurgical evaluation (e.g., neurovascular invasion); exact tumor size and response to neoadjuvant treatment |
Melanoma | + | + | + | + | M | Exact number and location of metastases for presurgical evaluation |
Lymphoma | M | Extranodal dissemination; early therapy response assessment |
↵* Frequency of metastatic spread (frequently [+], rare [−]) is according to AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, seventh edition (1); PET/CT and PET/MRI are considered equally accurate for N-staging, and thus importance of N-staging is not discussed.