title: Early assessment of treatment response in patients with AML using [(18)F]FLT PET imaging.
abstract: Assessment of treatment response in acute leukemia is routinely performed after therapy via bone marrow biopsy. We investigated the use of positron emission tomography (PET) for early assessment of treatment response in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), using the proliferation marker 3'-deoxy-3'-[(18)F]fluoro-l-thymidine (FLT). Eight adult AML patients receiving induction chemotherapy underwent whole-body FLT PET/CT scans acquired at different time points during therapy. Patients who entered complete remission (CR) exhibited significantly lower FLT uptake in bone marrow than those patients with resistant disease (RD). In bone marrow, mean and maximum standardized uptake values were 0.8, 3.6 for CR and 1.6, 11.4 for RD, p<0.001. FLT PET results for CR and RD patients were independent of assessment time point, suggesting that FLT PET scans acquired as early as 2 days after chemotherapy initiation may be predictive of clinical response. This pilot study suggests that FLT PET imaging during induction chemotherapy may serve as an early biomarker of treatment response in AML.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanderhoek
authors.forename: Mark B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Juckett
authors.forename: Scott B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Perlman
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Nickles
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jeraj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D015255:Idarubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D003561:Cytarabine; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D015255:Idarubicin