Extra-articular findings with FDG-PET/CT in rheumatoid arthritis patients: more harm than benefit.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Whole-body PET with CT scanning using ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) is used occasionally in RA patients to detect arthritis. FDG-PET/CT might also detect malignancies, but the amount of incidental findings and the number of relevant malignant diseases that could be missed are currently unknown. We aimed to study the malignancy screening performance of whole-body FDG-PET/CT in longstanding RA patients with low disease activity.

Methods

FDG-PET/CT scanning was done in the intervention arm of the Dose REduction Strategy of Subcutaneous TNF-inhibitors (DRESS) study, a randomized controlled trial on dose-tapering of biological DMARDs. The reference standard was clinical diagnosis of malignancy during the 3-year follow-up period of the study. Pre

SUBMITTER: Ulijn E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8924972 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature