title: New functional imaging modalities for chromaffin tumors, neuroblastomas and ganglioneuromas.
abstract: Nuclear medicine modalities use radiolabeled ligands that either follow metabolic pathways or act on cellular receptors. Thus, they permit functional imaging of physiological processes and help to localize sites such as tumors that harbor pathological events. The application of positron emission tomography (PET) ligands to the specific pathways of synthesis, metabolism and inactivation of catecholamines found in chromaffin tumors, neuroblastomas and ganglioneuromas can be used to provide a more thorough localization of these types of tumor. Recent advances have been made in functional imaging to localize pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, neuroblastomas and ganglioneuromas, including approaches based on PET with [(18)F]fluorodopamine, [(18)F]fluorohydroxyphenylalanine, [(11)C]epinephrine or [(11)C]hydroxyephedrine. Such functional imaging can complement computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and other scintigraphic techniques to localize these tumors before surgical or medical therapeutic approaches are considered.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biology and Medicine Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1109, USA.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ilias
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shulkin
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pacak
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005729:Ganglioneuroma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed