title: [Positron emission tomography in oncology].
abstract: Positron emission tomography (PET) has been developed to visualize biochemical and physiological phenomena in living humans. Blood flow, blood volume, glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, neural transmission system functions can be quantitatively estimated by means of PET with various radioactive tracers. A glucose analog, 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose, has been utilized to evaluate glucose metabolism. The whole body PET scanner enables imaging of brain; heart, and neoplasms within an hour. Screening for cancer and evaluation of remote metastasis, recurrence, and effects of radio-chemotherapy are now performed clinically. Further development of the tracers may enable a visualization of gene expression by means of radioactive anti-sense nucleic acids. In regeneration medicine, functional recovery can be estimated by means of PET.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Medicine (Nuclear Medicine and Tracer Kinetics), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hatazawa
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Hironobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18