Positron emission tomography/computed tomography is a hybrid nuclear medicine imaging technique that helps radiologists spot abnormal metabolic activity. PET/CT is commonly used to diagnose cancers, heart diseases and certain brain disorders, among other conditions.
A study out of China found most patients biopsied for prostate lesions did not have clinically significant cancer, calling the clinical ranking systems into question.
The study, which followed 195 patients recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM), found that a negative PET/CT scan six months after diagnosis and induction therapy was significantly linked with improved survival.
In pediatric care settings, hybrid PET/MR imaging combines “exquisite soft-tissue information obtained by MR imaging with functional information provided by PET.”
In a statement released on April 14, MITA cautioned that the coverage decision will “severely limit patient access” to amyloid PET diagnostics and anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies treatment.