PET for sarcomas other than gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly used to diagnose, grade, and stage different types of tumors and to assess tumor response to therapy. Metabolic data acquired by fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG)-PET may facilitate accurate grading of sarcomas and have prognostic value when combined with other grading methods and various clinical/radiological features. In addition, 18FDG-PET is currently being evaluated in several cancer types for its utility in biopsy guidance. Whole-body 18FDG-PET also appears to be superior to other imaging modalities in detecting bone metastases in certain sarcoma patients. New PET tracers currently being investigated include 18F-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT) and 18F-misonidazole. 18F-FLT can help to determine tumor growth, rather than tumor shrinkage, which could be used to evaluate treatment response in sarcomas. PET imaging offers invaluable information to help maximize the clinical benefit of patients with sarcoma. This article reviews the use of PET in sarcoma management and its potential applications in the near future.