Hematopoietic cytokine-mediated FDG uptake simulates the appearance of diffuse metastatic disease on whole-body PET imaging

Clin Nucl Med. 1998 Feb;23(2):93-8. doi: 10.1097/00003072-199802000-00007.

Abstract

FDG-PET is increasingly being used to assess malignant tumors. However, leukocyte colony-stimulating factors (CSFs), which promote the expansion of hematopoietic bone marrow, have also been demonstrated to cause increased bone-marrow FDG uptake. Three hundred FDG-PET studies conducted over a 1-year period were reviewed for diffuse bone-marrow uptake. Elevated bone-marrow uptake on PET was correlated with pathological findings and courses of granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF) therapy. These results demonstrate that G-CSF mediated FDG uptake in bone marrow is often indistinguishable from that caused by disseminated metastatic disease. However, the bone-marrow response to G-CSF decreases rapidly following the last CSF administration. Therefore, FDG-PET in patients receiving G-CSF should be delayed, when possible, until 5 days after the end of G-CSF therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Bone Marrow / diagnostic imaging*
  • Bone Marrow Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / pharmacology
  • Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasms / therapy
  • Osteosarcoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Osteosarcoma / secondary
  • Osteosarcoma / therapy
  • Radiopharmaceuticals*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed*

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor