Metastatic Seeding Attacks Bone Marrow, Not Bone: Rectifying Ongoing Misconceptions

Abstract

Conventional modalities, such as bone scintigraphy, are commonly used to assess osseous abnormalities in skeletal metastasis. Fluorine-18 (18F)-sodium fluoride (NaF) PET similarly portrays osteoblastic activity but with improved spatial and contrast resolution and more accurate anatomic localization. However, these modalities rely on indirect evidence for tumor activity. PET imaging with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and tumor-specific tracers may have an increased role by directly portraying the metabolic activity of cancer cells, which are often seeded in bone marrow and cause osseous disease after initial latency. This article describes the utility and limitations of these modalities in assessing skeletal metastases.