Assessing immune organs on F-FDG PET/CT imaging for therapy monitoring of immune checkpoint inhibitors: inter-observer variability, prognostic value and evolution during the treatment course of melanoma patients.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly improved survival in advanced melanoma. There is a need for robust biomarkers to identify patients who do not respond. We analysed 14 baseline F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) metrics and their evolution to assess their correlation with patient outcome, compared with 7 established biological markers and 7 clinical variables.

How fast can we scan patients with modern (digital) PET/CT systems?

Purpose: To seek for the minimal duration per bed position with a digital PET system without compromising image quality and lesion detection in patients requiring fast F-FDG PET imaging.

Materials And Methods: 19 cancer patients experiencing pain or dyspnea and 9 pediatric patients were scanned on a Vereos system. List mode data were reconstructed with decreasing time frame down to 10 s per bed position.