11C-acetate positron emission tomography is more precise than 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in evaluating tumor burden and predicting disease risk of multiple myeloma

The optimal method of tumor burden evaluation in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) is yet to be determined. This study aimed to compare the value of 11 C-acetate positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) (AC-PET and 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT (FDG-PET) in the assessment of tumor burden in NDMM. This study evaluated 64 NDMM patients between February 2015 and July 2018. AC-PET and FDG-PET were used to assess myeloma lesions. The clinical data, imaging results, and their correlations were analyzed. Diffuse bone marrow uptake in AC-PET was significantly correlated with biomarkers for tumor burden, including serum hemoglobin ( P = 0.020), M protein ( P = 0.054), the percentage of bone marrow plasma cells ( P 6.0 in AC-PET, but not in FDG-PET, predicted a higher probability of disease progression and shorter progression-free survival ( P