Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Usefulness of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in detecting subclinical arteritis and cancer associated with polymyalgia rheumatica
Authors' conclusion
PET-CT detects subclinical GCA in approximately 10% of PMR patients without suggestive symptoms, three times more frequently in the treatment failure group. Aortitis is present in 90% of subclinical GCA cases. Cancer prevalence is 4.7%, with a heterogeneous spectrum and unclear association with PMR symptoms.
Study context
- Population
- Patients meeting 2012 ACR/EULAR criteria for PMR without clinical indications of giant cell arteritis (GCA) or cancer, PET-CT since 20181,223 PET-CT scans screened
- Participants
- 94 patients
- Exposure
- New-onset PMR vs treatment failure
- New-onset PMRn = 38
- Treatment failuren = 56
- Outcome
- Prevalence of GCA or cancer detected via 18F-FDG PET-CT
Methodological detailsmonocentric
- Monocentric
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Subclinical GCA
- Subclinical GCA, overall
- 10 (10.6%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Cancer detected by PET-CT
- Cancer cases, overall; equally distributed between the two groups
- 8 (8.5%)
Aortic uptake in subclinical GCA cases
- Aortic uptake
- 90%
Sites with increased 18F-FDG uptake
- Hips
- 90%
- Shoulders, lumbar interspinous bursa
- 80%
- Ischial tuberosity
- 60%
Original publication
Usefulness of 18F-FDG PET-CT in detecting subclinical arteritis and cancer associated with polymyalgia rheumatica. Joint Bone Spine. Published 22 July 2025. doi:10.
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