SNMMI: NIH Researcher Discusses Potential of 18F-Fluciclovine for Multiple Myeloma Detection

Could the positron emission tomography (PET) tracer ¹⁸F-fluciclovine have an impact in the detection of multiple myeloma?

In preliminary prospective research presented at the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) conference, researchers compared ¹⁸F-fluciclovine PET/CT (Axumin, Blue Earth Diagnostics) and ¹⁸F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in a 13-patient cohort (median age of 68). The cohort included four participants with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) and nine participants with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).

In a recent interview at the SNMMI conference, lead study author Liza Lindenberg, M.D., said initial findings from the ongoing trial revealed that ¹⁸F-fluciclovine PET/CT detected more lesions than ¹⁸F FDG PET/CT along with higher total tumor voxel count and tumor volume.

“Many times, we saw more lesions on fluciclovine than we did on FDG. The other interesting fact that we saw with the whole scan is that it did not necessarily correspond either with the lab parameters. So it really makes us think that this is probably giving us information that is independent of what we already know, and that it's something that might give us more insight as to how the disease is going to progress, or whether that certain treatments might be more helpful than others,” explained Dr. Lindenberg, a nuclear medicine physician affiliated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “SNMMI: Can 18F-Fluciclovine PET/CT Bolster Detection of PCa Recurrence in the Prostate Bed?,” “Prostate Cancer PET Tracer Being Evaluated in Recurrent Brain Metastases” and “Prostate Cancer Control Improved by Adding PET Imaging to Treatment Planning.”)

While emphasizing the need for continued research with larger patient cohorts, Dr. Lindenberg noted that ¹⁸F-fluciclovine PET/CT may provide greater insight into the upregulation of amino acid transporters that can occur with aggressive tumor development.

For more insights from Dr. Lindenberg, watch the video below.

Reference

1. Lindenberg L, Huang E, Mena E, et al. ¹⁸F-fluciclovine PET/CT detects more lesions with higher quantitative PET parameters than ¹⁸-F-FDG PET/CT in multiple myeloma. Presented at the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) conference, June 21-24, New Orleans. Available at: https://poster.econference.io/app/snmmi/B95p18u/poster/145262