Positron emission tomography in the diagnosis and staging of urinary bladder cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of positron emission tomography (PET) using (18)fl 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG) and L-methyl-11C-methionine in the diagnosis and staging of urinary bladder carcinoma.


METHODS
Twenty-three patients with biopsy-proven urinary bladder carcinoma were examined with PET after intravenous injection of 11C-methionine; 2 were also examined with 18FDG. The results from the PET investigations were compared with CT or MR findings and TNM classification before and after treatment.


RESULTS
The urinary excretion of 18FDG prevented distinction of the primary tumour from the surrounding tracer. With 11C-methionine it was possible to detect 18/23 primary tumours. A trend was seen, suggesting that the higher the uptake values of 11C-methionine in the tumour, the greater the tumour stage.


CONCLUSIONS
It is possible to visualize urinary bladder tumours larger than 1 cm in diameter with PET using (11)C-methionine, but the value of the method in the staging of the lesions is not superior to conventional methods.
Ahlström
H
H
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Malmström
P U
PU
Letocha
H
H
Andersson
J
J
Långström
B
B
Nilsson
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D008715:Methionine; C038344:methionine methyl ester