title: Comparison of [18F]FDG-PET and L-3[123I]-iodo-alpha-methyl tyrosine (I-123 IMT)-SPECT in primary lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate L-3[123I]-iodo-alpha-methyl tyrosine (IMT)-SPECT and FDG-PET in pulmonary lesions suspected to be lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Whole body PET (measured transmission corrected emission scans) was performed 45 minutes after i.v. injection of 222-370 MBq (6-10 mCi) 18F-FDG on a Siemens PET scanner (ECAT EXACT 47) including 5-6 bed positions. 123I-IMT-SPECT (chest) was performed after injection of 370 MBq (10 mCi) with a dual head camera (Picker Prism 2000) and commercially available reconstruction algorithms. Ten patients (6 male and 4 female) with suspected lung cancer were investigated. The results were compared to histological findings after surgery or bronchoscopic biopsies and CT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  123I-IMT-SPECT and FDG-PET were able to detect all 9 cases of lung cancer (1-8 cm in diameter). One case was true negative. Both imaging methods were true positive with respect to mediastinal lymph node metastases in one patient. The tumor/background ratio was higher with PET (8.20 vs. 2.84).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the limited number of patients it may be concluded that IMT-SPECT as well as FDG-PET are suited to correctly diagnose lung cancer. Nevertheless, FDG-PET, if available, seems to be better suited because of the higher tumor/background ratio and better resolution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Willkomm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bangard
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guhlke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sartor
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bender
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gallkowski
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reichmann
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Biersack
mesh_terms: D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008781:Methyltyrosines; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods; D014915:Whole-Body Counting / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008781:Methyltyrosines; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; C030855:3-iodo-alpha-methyltyrosine