Predicting Fractures Using Vertebral 18F-NaF Uptake in Prostate Cancer Patients

Patients with prostate cancer tend to be at heightened risk for fracture due to bone metastases and treatment with androgen-deprivation therapy. Bone mineral density (BMD) derived from dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the standard for determining fracture risk in this population. However, BMD often fails to predict many osteoporotic fractures. Patients with prostate cancer also undergo 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF)-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to monitor metastases. The purpose of this study was to assess whether bone deposition, assessed by 18F-NaF uptake in 18F-NaF PET/CT, could predict incident fractures better than DXA- or CT-derived BMD in patients with prostate cancer.

This study included 105 males with prostate cancer who had undergone full body 18F-NaF PET/CT. Standardized uptake value (SUVmean and SUVmax) and CT-derived Hounsfield units (HU), a correlate of BMD, were recorded for each vertebral body. The average SUVmean, SUVmax, and HU were calculated for cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral areas. The t-test was used to assess significant differences between fracture and no-fracture groups.

The SUVmean and SUVmax values for the thoracic area were lower in the fracture group than in the no-fracture group. There was no significant difference in cervical, thoracic, lumbar or sacral HU between the 2 groups.

Our study reports that lower PET-derived non-metastatic bone deposition in the thoracic spine is correlated with incidence of fractures in patients with prostate cancer. CT-derived HU, a correlate of DXA-derived BMD, was not predictive of fracture risk. 18F-NaF PET/CT may provide important insight into bone quality and fracture risk.