Brain tumors: detection with C-11 choline PET.
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.
Shinoura
N
N
Department of Neurosurgery, International Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Nishijima
M
M
Hara
T
T
Haisa
T
T
Yamamoto
H
H
Fujii
K
K
Mitsui
I
I
Kosaka
N
N
Kondo
T
T
Hara
T
T
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
D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D002794:Choline