Sjögren's disease & overlap diseases
68Ga-FAPI PET/CT for assessing fibroblast activation and disease activity in primary Sjögren’s disease: a prospective case-control study
Authors' conclusion
[68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT noninvasively assesses fibroblast activation in SjD, correlates with disease activity and treatment response, and supports its potential clinical utility.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with sjögren's disease (SjD) (2016 ACR-EULAR criteria); cancer patients as controls
- Comparison
- SjD patients vs cancer patients as controls
- Outcome
- [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-04 tracer uptake in salivary and lacrimal glands
Methodological detailslongitudinal follow-up
- Longitudinal follow-up
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Significantly higher tracer uptake in lacrimal, parotid and sublingual glands in SjD vs controls
- all P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Diagnostic performance of parotid gland SUVmax (ROC analysis)
- Parotid gland SUVmax, AUC
- 0.89 (95% CI 0.84-0.94; P < 0.001)
Correlation of parotid gland uptake with ESR
- Correlation coefficient r (P < 0.05)
- 0.51-0.58
- After correcting for multiple comparisons
Correlation of parotid gland uptake with RF
- Correlation coefficient r (P < 0.05)
- 0.50-0.57
- After correcting for multiple comparisons
Correlation of parotid total lesion fibroblast activation with EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) score
- Correlation coefficient r (P < 0.05); only parotid total lesion fibroblast (TLF) correlated significantly with ESSDAI
- 0.48
Follow-up imaging after GC therapy
- GC therapy associated with concurrent reductions in clinical scores and salivary gland FAPI uptake (9 patients)
Original publication
68Ga-FAPI PET/CT for assessing fibroblast activation and disease activity in primary Sjögren’s disease: a prospective case-control study. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 28 August 2026. doi:10.
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