Measurements of blood-brain barrier permeability in patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy for primary cerebral lymphoma.
Positron emission tomography (PET) has been used to measure changes in regional blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in patients with primary cerebral lymphoma undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The method employed is to measure the rate of wash-out of a radioactive tracer (68Ga-EDTA) from blood into brain tissue using time-sequence PET imaging. Preliminary studies carried out on patients with more common primary cerebral tumours show that time-activity data are reproducible to approximately 10%. Measurements made in 2 patients with primary cerebral lymphoma treated with initial chemotherapy showed significant changes in permeability in the region of the tumour. Within 5 weeks of the start of treatment, permeability values reached the levels of normal brain. No changes in BBB permeability in normal brain were seen immediately after radiotherapy.
Ott
R J
RJ
Department of Physics, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, U.K.
Brada
M
M
Flower
M A
MA
Babich
J W
JW
Cherry
S R
SR
Deehan
B J
BJ
D000328:Adult; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002540:Cerebral Cortex; D004492:Edetic Acid; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D004492:Edetic Acid