A Pilot Study of FDG-PET/CT in Polycythemia Vera Using Global Analysis Techniques

Functional imaging presents a non-invasive process that may capture the hyper-metabolic nature of red bone marrow in myeloproliferative neoplasms, such as polycythemia vera (PV).

This study analyzed the FDG-PET/CT scans (n=12) of six patients diagnosed with PV and six age-sex matched controls using a quantitative global analysis methodology.

All PV patients had elevated activities in the bone marrow of each skeletal structure as compared to matched controls with respect to mean standardized uptake value (femoral neck p=0.01, lumbar spine p=0.02, pelvis p=0.002, sternum p=0.04). Notable variations in splenic uptake were observed among the treated and untreated PV patients.  

Our study exemplifies the potential utility of PET in reflecting hyperactive bone marrow activity related to PV. Future studies may further substantiate and elaborate on the use of PET-derived metabolic data in PV.