Publication:

Update in the imaging study of multiple myeloma

Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma have led to the modification of diagnostic criteria and initiation of therapy, incorporating myeloma-defining events into the CRAB criteria. Imaging has evolved from radiographic study to whole-body techniques, including low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET/CT), and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), being an important part of the evaluation of myeloma precursors, the staging of the disease and the evaluation of treatment response. LDCT has greater sensitivity in the detection of bone lesions compared to the radiographic study, MRI has the greatest sensitivity in the evaluation of bone marrow infiltration and PET/CT is the method of choice in the evaluation of treatment response. The radiologist must know the morphological characteristics of the lesions originating from myeloma in the different techniques and recognize the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of study.