PET/CT Improves the Definition of Complete Response and Allows to Detect Otherwise Unidentifiable Skeletal Progression in Multiple Myeloma

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Purpose: To evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in 282 symptomatic multiple myeloma patients treated up-front between 2002 and 2012.</jats:p> <jats:p>Experimental Design: All patients were studied by PET/CT at baseline, during posttreatment follow-up, and at the time of relapse. Their median duration of follow-up was 67 months.</jats:p> <jats:p>Results: Forty-two percent of the patients at diagnosis had &gt;3 focal lesions, and in 50% SUVmax was &gt;4.2; extramedullary disease was present in 5%. On multivariate analysis, ISS stage 3, SUVmax &gt;4.2, and failure to achieve best complete response (CR) were the leading factors independently associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). These 3 variables were used to construct a prognostic scoring system based on the number of risk factors. After treatment, PET/CT negativity (PET-neg) was observed in 70% of patients, whereas conventionally defined CR was achieved in 53%. Attainment of PET-neg favorably influenced PFS and OS. PET-neg was an independent predictor of prolonged PFS and OS for patients with conventionally defined CR. Sixty-three percent of patients experienced relapse or progression; in 12%, skeletal progression was exclusively detected by systematic PET/CT performed during follow-up. A multivariate analysis revealed that persistence of SUVmax &gt;4.2 following first-line treatment was independently associated with exclusive PET/CT progression.</jats:p> <jats:p>Conclusions: PET/CT combined with ISS stage and achievement or not of CR on first-line therapy sorted patients into different prognostic groups. PET/CT led to a more careful evaluation of CR. Finally, in patients with persistent high glucose metabolism after first-line treatment, PET/CT can be recommended during follow-up, to screen for otherwise unidentifiable progression. Clin Cancer Res; 21(19); 4384–90. ©2015 AACR.</jats:p>