Applications of 18F-Fluorodesoxyglucose PET Imaging in Leukemia.

The main finding that 18F-FDG PET imaging can reveal in patients with leukemias is the presence of bone marrow (BM) infiltration in both acute or chronic forms. This ability can influence and guide the use of BM biopsy but also assess to therapy response. Additionally 18F-FDG PET imaging has been reported as particularly useful for the diagnosis of leukemias in patients with non specific symptoms. In the case of acute leukemias it revealed also a role for the evaluation of extramedullary forms while in the case of chronic forms a role for the assessment of Richter transformation has been reported.