2-18F-fluoro-L-tyrosine; 18F-FDG; PET; cancer; protein synthesis
Abstract :
[en] 18F-FDG PET imaging is now established as a valuable tool for evaluating cancer patients. However, a limitation of 18F-FDG is its absence of specificity for tumor. Both protein synthesis and amino acid transport are enhanced in most tumor cells, but their metabolism is less affected in inflammation. We therefore decided to evaluate the ability of PET with 2-18F-fluoro-L-tyrosine (18F-TYR) to visualize cancer lesions in patients compared with 18F-FDG PET. Methods: 18F-FDG PET and 18F-TYR PET were performed on 23 patients with histologically proven malignancies (11 non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), 10 lymphomas, and 2 head and neck carcinomas). Fully corrected, whole-body PET studies were obtained on separate days. 18F-FDG studies were performed after routine clinical fashion. 18F-TYR studies were started 36 ± 6 min after tracer injection and a second scan centered over a reference lesion was acquired after completion of the whole-body survey-on average, 87 min after injection. Standardized uptake values (SUVs) were calculated for all abnormal foci and for various normal structures. Results were compared with pathologic or correlative studies. Results: 18F-FDG PET correctly identified 54 malignant lesions, among which 36 were also visualized with 18F-TYR (67%). 18F-TYR did not detect any additional lesion. Tumor SUVs (SUVbw, 5.2 vs. 2.5), tumor-to-muscle (7.4 vs. 2.7), and tumor-to-mediastinum activity ratios (3 vs. 1.4) were higher with 18F-FDG than with 18F-TYR. Two of 11 NSCLCs and 4 of 10 lymphomas were understaged with 18F-TYR compared with 18F-FDG. Although the NSCLC lesions missed by 18F-TYR PET were small, several large lymphoma lesions did not accumulate the tracer. In 4 patients, 18F-TYR-positive lesions coexisted with 18F-TYR-negative lesions. There was a high physiologic 18F-TYR uptake by the pancreas (average SUVbw, 10.3) and the liver (average SUVbw, 6.3). Muscle and bone marrow uptakes were also higher with 18F-TYR than with 18F-FDG: average SUVbw, 1 versus 0.7 and 2.6 versus 1.8, respectively. There was no change over time in the 18F-TYR uptake by the tumors or the normal structures. Conclusion: 18F-TYR PET is not superior to 18F-FDG PET for staging patients with NSCLC and lymphomas.
Disciplines :
Radiology, nuclear medicine & imaging
Author, co-author :
Hustinx, Roland ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Médecine nucléaire
Lemaire, Christian ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Centre de recherches du cyclotron
Jerusalem, Guy ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Oncologie médicale
Moreau, Pierre ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > O.R.L.
Cataldo, Didier ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Labo de biologie des tumeurs et du développement - Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Duysinx, Bernard ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Pneumologie-Allergologie
Aerts, Joël ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Centre de recherches du cyclotron
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