PET Imaging in Sarcoma

PET imaging has been evaluated in five areas of sarcoma diagnosis and treatment: biopsy guidance, therapeutic monitoring, tumor detection and grading, tumor staging, and prognostication. Current evidence does not include any cost-benefit analysis showing a decreased number of invasive procedures from false-positive results. There is overlap from more conventional imaging and PET imaging without obvious added benefit from information gained from PET/computed tomography scanning. Use as a routine test in patients with sarcoma cannot be recommended. Use in specific histologic subtypes with differing patterns of metastasis or in monitoring those cases undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy needs further study before PET/computed tomography becomes standard of care for patients with sarcoma.