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

Objective(s): 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). Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.