Uptake rates of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and 11C-choline in lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis: a positron emission tomography study.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the uptake rates of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and (11)C-choline in patients with lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis, and atypical mycobacterial infection of the lung by positron emission tomography (PET) scanning with relation to their tumor size.


METHODS
Ninety-seven patients with untreated lung cancer, 14 patients with untreated pulmonary tuberculosis, and 5 patients with untreated atypical mycobacterial infection were examined. The diagnosis of lung cancer was confirmed pathologically after biopsy and surgery. The diagnosis of tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infection was confirmed by bacterial culture. The uptake rates of FDG and (11)C-choline were presented quantitatively as the standardized uptake value (SUV).


METHODS
International Medical Center of Japan.


RESULTS
In lung cancer patients, the SUV of FDG increased with increasing tumor size, whereas the SUV of (11)C-choline was almost constant at around 3.5 for every tumor size. In tuberculosis patients, the SUV of FDG increased with increasing tumor size, whereas the SUV of (11)C-choline was almost constant at around 2 for every tumor size. In atypical mycobacterial infection patients, the SUV of FDG and the SUV of (11)C-choline were equally low at around < or = 2.


CONCLUSIONS
The differences in the SUVs of FDG and (11)C-choline in patients with lung cancer, tuberculosis, and atypical mycobacterial infection for the same tumor size (tumor size, > 1.5 cm) were distinct. In lung cancer patients, the SUVs of both FDG and (11)C-choline were high. In tuberculosis patients, the SUV of FDG was high, but the SUV of (11)C-choline was low. In atypical mycobacterial infection patients, the SUVs of both FDG and (11)C-choline were low. It may be possible to apply this principle to make a presumptive diagnosis of a solitary pulmonary nodule if it is too small to make a definitive diagnosis pathologically and bacteriologically.
Hara
Toshihiko
T
Department of Radiology, International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo, Japan. toshara@iupui.edu
Kosaka
Noboru
N
Suzuki
Tsuneo
T
Kudo
Koichiro
K
Niino
Hitoshi
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002794:Choline; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D002794:Choline