[18F]FDG PET-MR in the Evaluation and Follow-Up of Incidental Bone Ischemic Lesions in a Mono-Center Cohort of Pediatric Patients Affected by Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Abstract

Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) is one of the neoplasms with the best prognosis in children, adolescents and young adults, but sufferers are burdened by the possibility of developing adverse effects such as Bone Ischemic Lesions (BILs) which are lesions of the bone caused by the loss of/reduction in blood flow. The main goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate the role of [18F]FDG-PET-MR in the early detection of BILs in a single-center cohort of uniformly treated pediatric HL patients. BILs were assessed through PET-MR images as the appearance of medullary lesion surrounded by a serpiginous, tortuous border. From 2017 to 2022, 10/53 (18.9%) HL patients developed BILs which were mostly (8/10 patients) multifocal. Overall, 30 lesions were identified in the 10 asymptomatic patients, all with the above-mentioned features at MR and with very low [18F]FDG uptake. BILs were incidentally detected during HL therapy (n = 6) and follow-up (n = 4), especially in the long bones (66.7%). No factors correlated with the occurrence of BIL were identified. No patients developed complications. PET-MR is a sensitive combined-imaging technique for detecting BILs that are asymptomatic and self-limiting micro-ischemic lesions. BILs can be monitored by clinical follow-up alone both during and after therapy.