Aportaciones de la medicina nuclear en la enfermedad musculoesquelética tumoral maligna en niños / Contributions of nuclear medicine to malignant musculoskeletal tumor disease in children

Un diagnóstico de cáncer es perturbador a cualquier edad, pero especialmente cuando el paciente es un niño. Solo se puede diagnosticar lo que se sospecha, solo se sospecha lo que se conoce o, al menos, se conoce su existencia, pero los tumores musculoesqueléticos son infrecuentes y, por tanto, muy difíciles de diagnosticar o tratar. Probablemente por su infrecuencia, por la complejidad de las imágenes radiológicas, por la apariencia histopatológica, así como por las serias consecuencias debido a biopsias y tratamientos inadecuados, la patología tumoral musculoesquelética necesita un manejo clínico que debe ser llevado a cabo por un grupo de especialistas con formación específica, que permita un adecuado diagnóstico, la introducción de terapias adyuvantes, así como un tratamiento quirúrgico, haciéndose hoy imprescindible un tratamiento multidisciplinar. Los estudios de imagen proporcionan información esencial sobre la naturaleza de cada lesión, su tamaño, su localización anatómica, el efecto sobre el hueso o los tejidos blandos circundantes y la afectación de las articulaciones adyacentes y las estructuras neurovasculares. En este artículo los autores analizan los avances de las técnicas de medicina nuclear (gammagrafías, PET/TC y SPECT/TC) y su utilidad en la estadificación de tumores musculoesqueléticos malignos pediátricos, así como en la valoración de la respuesta, el seguimiento y el diagnóstico de recidiva (AU)

A diagnosis of cancer is frightening at any age, but especially when the patient is a child. Only what is suspected can be diagnosed, only what is known or at least known to exist is suspected, but musculoskeletal tumors are infrequent and therefore very difficult to diagnose or treat. Probably due to their infrequency, the complexity of the radiological images, histopathological appearance, as well as the serious consequences due to inadequate biopsies and treatments, musculoskeletal tumor pathology requires clinical management that must be carried out by a group of specialists with specific training, allowing an adequate diagnosis, introduction of adjuvant therapies, as well as surgical treatment, making multidisciplinary treatment essential today. Imaging studies provide essential information on the nature of each lesion, its size, its anatomical location, the effect on the surrounding bone or soft tissues and the involvement of adjacent joints and neurovascular structures. In this article the authors will discuss the advances in nuclear medicine techniques (scintigraphy, SPECT/CT and PET/CT) and their usefulness in the staging of pediatric malignant musculoskeletal tumors, as well as in the assessment of response, follow-up, and diagnosis of recurrence (AU)

Contributions of nuclear medicine to malignant musculoskeletal tumor disease in children.

A diagnosis of cancer is frightening at any age, but especially when the patient is a child. Only what is suspected can be diagnosed, only what is known or at least known to exist is suspected, but musculoskeletal tumors are infrequent and therefore very difficult to diagnose or treat. Probably due to their infrequency, the complexity of the radiological images, histopathological appearance, as well as the serious consequences due to inadequate biopsies and treatments, musculoskeletal tumor pathology requires clinical management that must be carried out by a group of specialists with specific training, allowing an adequate diagnosis, introduction of adjuvant therapies, as well as surgical treatment, making multidisciplinary treatment essential today. Imaging studies provide essential information on the nature of each lesion, its size, its anatomical location, the effect on the surrounding bone or soft tissues and the involvement of adjacent joints and neurovascular structures. In this article the authors will discuss the advances in nuclear medicine techniques (scintigraphy, SPECT/CT and PET/CT) and their usefulness in the staging of pediatric malignant musculoskeletal tumors, as well as in the assessment of response, follow-up, and diagnosis of recurrence.

Role of Nuclear Medicine in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal infection: a review. / Revisión del papel de la Medicina Nuclear en el diagnóstico de la infección musculoesquelética.

Inflammatory and infectious osteoarticular diseases can cause serious consequences for the patient if they are not diagnosed on time. In the last decades, different modalities of nuclear medicine have allowed to study the physiopathology of these processes, and nowadays, they play an important role in diagnosis, characterization and monitoring of musculoskeletal infectious diseases. Therefore, it is essential that every nuclear medicine physician have a vision of the advantages and disadvantages of each method and know how to use them correctly in the diagnosis of the patient. This article highlights the role of nuclear medicine in standardizing the diagnostic approach in patients with infectious/inflammatory diseases, in particular in peripheral osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, prosthetic joint infections, infected diabetic foot and spinal infections. The authors reveal the role of the most common radionuclides tests, with their advantages and clinical indications, to achieve an adequate diagnosis of infection and inflammation.