The aim of this review was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of
simultaneous PET/MRI in oncology compared with that of PET/CT, based upon the available evidence.
Material and methods
A systematic search was performed in the Medline and Embase databases to identify original clinical articles published up to 21 January 2016, in order to compare simultaneous PET/MRI and PET/CT in oncology patients.
Results
A total of 57 articles were obtained that included various diseases: head and neck cancer (5), lung cancer and lung nodules (13), colorectal cancer (1), liver lesions (2), abdominal incidentalomas (1), neuroendocrine tumors (2), thyroid carcinoma (2), breast cancer (3), gynecological cancer (2), prostate cancer (4), lymphoma (2), multiple myeloma (1), bone metastases (3), intracranial tumors (2), pediatric oncology (1) and various tumors (13). Diagnostic performance of simultaneous PET/MRI was similar or even better to that of PET/CT in most oncological diseases. However, PET/CT was superior for small lung nodule detection.
Conclusion
Simultaneous PET/MRI in oncology is feasible, performing at least equally as well as PET/CT, with lower radiation exposure. However, available evidence is still limited. Studies including more patients and tumors are needed to establish PET/MRI indications and to identify appropriate protocols for each disease.
