title: Brain tumors: detection with C-11 choline PET.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of positron emission tomography (PET) with carbon-11 choline in brain tumor imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  A rat glioma cell line (C6) was incubated with C-14 choline; the time course of uptake and metabolism was determined in vitro. C-11 choline was injected intravenously in tumor-bearing rats; the time course of distribution in organs was determined. C-11 choline also was injected intravenously in 20 patients (aged 6-86 years) with brain tumors and two volunteers (aged 38 and 58 years); distribution of the tracer in the brain was determined. Regional cerebral blood flow was measured by using oxygen-15 water on the same day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  C-14 choline was metabolized to phosphoryl choline in glioma cells. The uptake of C-11 choline by glioblastoma cells was three to four times higher than that in the rat brain. All brain tumors took up more C-11 choline than did normal brain; thus, brain tumors that were not treated, as well as those that were treated with surgery or radiation therapy, were depicted. The tumor-normal brain uptake ratio of C-11 choline in brain tumor did not correlate with the O-15 water regional blood flow in the corresponding area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  C-11 choline PET can depict brain tumors effectively. This method was clinically useful in patients who had undergone surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, International Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinoura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishijima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haisa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mitsui
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kosaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002794:Choline / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D002794:Choline