[18F]FDG PET/MRI in Endometrial Cancer: Prospective Evaluation of Preoperative Staging, Molecular Characterization and Prognostic Assessment

Background/Objectives: Early and accurate characterization of endometrial cancer (EC) is crucial for patient management, but current imaging modalities lack in diagnostic accuracy and ability to assess molecular profiles. The aim of this study is to evaluate hybrid [F-18]FDG PET/MRI's diagnostic accuracy in EC staging and role in predicting tumor aggressiveness, molecular characterization, and recurrence. Methods: A prospective study (ClinicalTrials.gov, ID:NCT04212910) evaluating EC patients undergoing [F-18]FDG PET/MRI before surgery (2018-2024). Histology, immunohistochemistry, and patients' follow-up (mean FU time: 3.13y) were used as the reference standard. [F-18]FDG PET/MRI, PET only, and MRI only were independently reviewed to assess the diagnostic accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), and positive/negative predictive value (PPV, NPV). Imaging parameters were extracted from [F-18]FDG PET and pcT1w, T2w, DWI, and DCE MRI. Spearman's correlations, Fisher's exact test, ROC-AUC analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models were applied. Results: Eighty participants with primary EC (median age 63 +/- 12 years) were enrolled, with 17% showing LN involvement. [F-18]FDG PET/MRI provided ACC = 98.75%, SN = 98.75%, and PPV = 100% for primary tumor detection, and ACC = 92.41%, SN = 84.62%, SP = 93.94%, PPV = 73.33%, and NPV = 96.88% for LN detection. PET/MRI parameters predicted LN involvement (AUC = 79.49%), deep myometrial invasion (79.78%), lymphovascular space invasion (82.00%), p53abn (71.47%), MMRd (74.51%), relapse (82.00%), and postoperative administration of adjuvant therapy (79.64%). Patients with a tumor cranio-caudal diameter >= 43 mm and MTV >= 13.5 cm(3) showed increased probabilities of recurrence (p < 0.001). Conclusions: [F-18]FDG PET/MR showed exceptional accuracy in EC primary tumor and LN detection. Derived parameters demonstrated potential ability in defining features of aggressiveness, molecular alterations, and tumor recurrence.