Review on radiomic analysis in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for prediction of melanoma outcomes

Cancer Imaging. 2024 Jul 5;24(1):87. doi: 10.1186/s40644-024-00732-5.

Abstract

Over the past decade, several strategies have revolutionized the clinical management of patients with cutaneous melanoma (CM), including immunotherapy and targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-based therapies. Indeed, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), alone or in combination, represent the standard of care for patients with advanced disease without an actionable mutation. Notably BRAF combined with MEK inhibitors represent the therapeutic standard for disease disclosing BRAF mutation. At the same time, FDG PET/CT has become part of the routine staging and evaluation of patients with cutaneous melanoma. There is growing interest in using FDG PET/CT measurements to predict response to ICI therapy and/or target therapy. While semiquantitative values such as standardized uptake value (SUV) are limited for predicting outcome, new measures including tumor metabolic volume, total lesion glycolysis and radiomics seem promising as potential imaging biomarkers for nuclear medicine. The aim of this review, prepared by an interdisciplinary group of experts, is to take stock of the current literature on radiomics approaches that could improve outcomes in CM.

Keywords: BRAF; FDG-PET; Immune checkpoint inhibition; Immunotherapy; Melanoma; NRAS; Radiomic.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • Humans
  • Melanoma* / diagnostic imaging
  • Melanoma* / drug therapy
  • Melanoma* / pathology
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography* / methods
  • Radiomics
  • Radiopharmaceuticals*
  • Skin Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Skin Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology

Substances

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Radiopharmaceuticals