The Role of Whole-Body MRI in Pediatric Musculoskeletal Oncology: Current Concepts and Clinical Applications.
Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) has gained importance in the field of musculoskeletal oncology over the last decades, consisting in a one-stop imaging method that allows a wide coverage assessment of both bone and soft tissue involvement. WB-MRI is valuable for diagnosis, staging, and follow-up in many oncologic diseases and is especially advantageous for the pediatric population since it avoids redundant examinations and exposure to ionizing radiation in patients who often undergo long-term surveillance. Its clinical application has been studied in many pediatric neoplasms, such as cancer predisposition syndromes, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, lymphoma, sarcomas, and neuroblastoma. The addition of diffusion-weighted sequences allows functional evaluation of neoplastic lesions, which is helpful in the assessment of viable tumor and response to treatment after neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. WB-MRI is an excellent alternative to fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography in oncologic children, with comparable accuracy and the convenience of being radiation-free, fast to perform, and available at a similar cost. The development of new techniques and protocols makes WB-MRI increasingly faster, safer, and more accessible, and it is important for referring physicians and radiologists to recognize the role of this imaging method in pediatric oncology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2.
['Guimarães|Júlio Brandão|JB|', 'da Cruz|Isabela Azevedo Nicodemos|IAN|https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0624-3797', 'Ahlawat|Shivani|S|https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4437-5237', 'Ormond Filho|Alípio Gomes|AG|', 'Nico|Marcelo Astolfi Caetano|MAC|', 'Lederman|Henrique Manoel|HM|', 'Fayad|Laura Marie|LM|https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4927-4008']
magnetic resonance imaging pediatric oncology musculoskeletal imaging