FDG PET/MR in initial staging of sarcoma: Initial experience and comparison with conventional imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR) with 18F-fluordeoxyglucose (FDG) for initial staging of sarcoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with sarcoma were included in this study. Weighted kappa (κ) was used to assess the agreement between PET/MR and conventional imaging (CT and MR). The accuracy of PET/MR and conventional imaging for distant metastases was compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

RESULTS: T and M stage were identical for PET/MR and conventional modalities in all patients (κ=1). N stage was identical for 28/29 patients (κ=0.65).

CONCLUSIONS: FDG PET/MR shows excellent agreement with the currently preferred imaging methods (CT and MR) in initial staging of sarcoma.