title: Characterizing POEMS Syndrome with 18F-FDG PET/CT.
abstract: POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein elevation, and skin changes) syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome caused by an underlying plasma cell disorder. The patients usually present with multisystemic involvement. Thus, we performed a study to investigate the role of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in characterizing POEMS syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one untreated patients with proven or suspected POEMS syndrome were recruited to undergo (18)F-FDG PET/CT. Features of bone lesions, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly or splenomegaly, bone marrow, and serous cavity effusion were examined, and 15 patients were followed up with PET/CT scans 3 mo after therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 90 patients diagnosed with POEMS syndrome, there were 140 (18)F-FDG-avid bone lesions. These lesions were frequently found in the pelvis, and most showed mixed characteristics. Four patients showed enlarged and (18)F-FDG-avid lymph nodes. Sixty-five patients had hepatomegaly or splenomegaly. Some of them had hypermetabolic spleen and bone marrow. Forty-six patients had serous cavity effusion. Five male patients had gynecomastia. Three months after therapy, (18)F-FDG-avid bone lesions showed decreased metabolism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (18)F-FDG PET/CT is a useful tool for the evaluation of patients with suspected POEMS syndrome. (18)F-FDG PET/CT may contribute to the diagnosis, evaluation, and follow-up of patients with POEMS syndrome by providing systematic findings of bone lesions, lymphadenopathy, liver or spleen involvement, serous cavity effusion, and the metabolic status of the lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; and.
authors.forename: Qingqing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; and lifangpumch@126.com.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Daobin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; and.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods; D016878:POEMS Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: FDG; PET; POEMS syndrome