PET Imaging

F-18 FES PET images of patients with ER+/PR+/HER2- invasive ductal carcinoma. Left panel: Progressive disease seen at the 8-week time-point in a patient on sequential therapy. Right panel: Stable disease through all 3 time-points, remaining on study therapy for 6.7 months until disease progression on combined vorinostat aromatase inhibitor therapy. Image created by Lanell M Peterson, Research Scientist, University of Washington Medical Oncology, Seattle WA.

Differences in brain activity between connected and disconnected states of consciousness studied with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Activity of the thalamus, anterior (ACC) and posterior cingulate cortices (PCC), and bilateral angular gyri (AG) show the most consistent associa-tions with the state of consciousness (A = general anesthesia, B = sleep). The same brain struc-tures, which are deactivated when the state of consciousness changes to disconnected in general anesthesia or natural sleep (cool colors in the left columns), are reactivated when regaining a con-nected state upon emergence from anesthesia (warm colors in the right columns). Graphic courtesy of University of Turku

CXCR4-directed PET correlates with MRI-determined lymphoma lesions. Depicted are representative MR images (T1c- and FLAIR- sequences), and the corresponding CXCR4- directed PET images and fusion images (MRI-FLAIR and PET), of two patients with PCNSL and SCNSL, respectively. Images created by Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.

Pre-treatment (A-C) and post-treatment (D-F) images after eight cycles of systemic FOLFIRINOX and consolidative chemoradiation. Baseline CA 19-9 was 145 U/ml. Pre-treatment whole body axial fused PET/MRI showed FDG avid lesion in body of pancreas (arrow, A) with SUVmax 7.1 and SUVgluc 8.0. Lesion was hypo-enhancing on axial contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1W) MR image (arrow, B) from focused abdominal PET/MRI and on CT (arrow, C). Pre-treatment CT tumor volume was 10.3 cm3. Post-treatment whole body axial fused PET/MRI showed complete metabolic response (arrow D) with SUVmax 1.9 and SUVgluc 1.9. Lesion was indistinct on axial contrast-enhanced T1W MRI (arrow, E) and CT (arrow, F), and there was upstream pancreatic parenchymal atrophy. Post-treatment CT tumor volume was 0.46 cm3. There was normalization of CA 19-9. Relative change in SUVmax (ΔSUVgluc) was -73%, and relative change in SUVgluc (ΔSUVgluc) was -76%. Based on change in tumor size, response was categorized as partial response per RECIST. Relative change in tumor volume (ΔTvol) was -96%. Pathology showed major pathologic response (College of American Pathologists score 1.) Images courtesy of American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR)

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