The Utility of [18F]Fdg Pet/Ct in Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1: A Retrospective Single-Center Study Publisher



Fardesfahani A^{1, 2} ; Alsalloum R³ ; Chavhan G¹ ; Shammas A¹ ; Amirabadi A¹ ; Vali R¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Iranian Journal of Nuclear Medicine Published:2025

Abstract

Introduction: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a prevalent inherited condition, having a risk for malignant conversion to malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST). Our study objective was to assess the effectiveness of [18F]FDG PET/CT and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR) in identifying early transformation in pediatric patients, given the limited data available in existing literature. Methods: In this study children with suspected or confirmed NF1 who underwent [18F]FDG between January 2007 and April 2024 were included in a retrospective cross-sectional analysis. Exclusion criteria was follow-up periods shorter than one-year post [18F]FDG results. Results: The study included 13 patients (6 females, 7 males), with a median age of 11 years, and a total of 16 lesions. Only two lesions were confirmed by biopsy to have undergone malignant transformation into a MPNST. Although the findings varied, [18F]FDG imaging was able to anticipate the malignant transformation only in one of these two cases. Conclusion: Due to the limited sample size, definitive conclusions could not be provided. We were unable to propose a specific SUVmax cutoff to predict the malignant transformation of neurofibromas in children with NF1 disease. Copyright © 2025 The Authors.