Kinetics of [methyl-11C]thymidine in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Thymidine labelled with a position emitter and imaging by positron emission tomography has been suggested to measure tumour proliferation in vivo non-invasively. The present study presents a compartmental model which describes the behavior of [methyl-11C]thymidine in tumour tissue and allows quantification of the data using a proliferation parameter (PP). In nine patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, 11C-activity over the tumour and the adjacent blood vessels was measured. The median PP without correction for blood pool activity was found to be 8.61 10(-4) min(-1). With correction this parameter changed from -14% to +40%. We found no correlation between either sex or tumour differentiation and PP. The described model can be used to quantitate [methyl-11C]thymidine uptake in human tumours. Indivdual correction for tumour blood volume is mandatory.
van Eijkeren
M E
ME
Department of Radiotherapy, University Hospital, University of Ghent, Belgium. vaneijke@krtkgl.rug.ac.be
Thierens
H
H
Seuntjens
J
J
Goethals
P
P
Lemahieu
I
I
Strijckmans
K
K
D000368:Aged; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013936:Thymidine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003287:Contrast Media; D013936:Thymidine