title: New Approaches to Molecular Imaging of Multiple Myeloma.
abstract: Molecular imaging plays an important role in detection and staging of hematologic malignancies. Multiple myeloma (MM) is an age-related hematologic malignancy of clonal bone marrow plasma cells characterized by destructive bone lesions and is fatal in most patients. Traditional skeletal survey and bone scans have sensitivity limitations for osteolytic lesions manifested in MM. Progressive biomedical imaging technologies such as low-dose CT, molecularly targeted PET, MRI, and the functional-anatomic hybrid versions (PET/CT and PET/MRI) provide incremental advancements in imaging MM. Imaging with PET and MRI using molecularly targeted probes is a promising precision medicine platform that might successfully address the clinical ambiguities of myeloma spectrum diseases. The intent of this focus article is to provide a concise review of the present status and promising developments on the horizon, such as the new molecular imaging biomarkers under investigation that can either complement or potentially supersede existing standards.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri; and.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vij
authors.affiliation: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: Kathryn J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.affiliation: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri mshokeen@wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shokeen
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging
keywords: PET/CT; PET/MRI; metabolic imaging; monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS); multiple myeloma (MM); receptor very late antigen-4 (VLA-4)