Clinical positron emission tomography for brain tumors: comparison of fludeoxyglucose F 18 and L-methyl-11C-methionine.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the differences between fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG) and L-methyl-11C-methionine (11C-methionine) as tracers for positron emission tomography (PET) in the evaluation of brain tumors.


METHODS
We analyzed 10 patients with histologically verified cerebral glioma or meningioma and 1 patient with a neuroradiologic diagnosis of low-grade glioma by using FDG, 11C-methionine, and PET. We qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated the extent and degree of accumulation of FDG and 11C-methionine in the tumor tissue.


RESULTS
Although PET with FDG depicted malignant tumors as a hot spot in all cases, it was not able to delineate the extent of the tumor. Conversely, PET with 11C-methionine outlined the tumors as areas of increased accumulation of 11C-methionine, regardless of the degree of malignancy.


CONCLUSIONS
PET with FDG and with 11C-methionine can play complementary roles in the evaluation of brain tumors.
Ogawa
T
T
Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Brain and Blood Vessels, Akita University School of Medicine, Japan.
Inugami
A
A
Hatazawa
J
J
Kanno
I
I
Murakami
M
M
Yasui
N
N
Mineura
K
K
Uemura
K
K
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008579:Meningioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008715:Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D001786:Blood Glucose; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D008715:Methionine; C038344:methionine methyl ester