Correlation between hepatic tumor blood flow and glucose utilization in a rabbit liver tumor model.
OBJECTIVE
To prospectively determine the relationship between hepatic tumor blood flow and glucose utilization in vivo by using a combined positron emission tomographic (PET)/computed tomographic (CT) scanner.


METHODS
The animal care and use subcommittee at the University of Western Ontario approved this study. VX2 carcinoma cells were implanted in the livers of eight male New Zealand white rabbits. Functional CT was performed before tumor implantation and every 4 days thereafter. Each examination consisted of two phases: In the first phase, 30-second cine breath-hold scanning was performed with simultaneous injection of 5 mL of contrast material. In the second phase, 4-second cine scanning was performed without breath holding every 10 seconds for 2 minutes. Second-phase CT images were coregistered with first-phase images to eliminate breathing artifacts. The weighted summation of the aortic and portal venous time-attenuation curves was deconvolved against curves from the liver to derive hepatic blood flow (HBF). Five animals underwent fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) scanning before and every 8 days after implantation. FDG uptake was measured as standardized uptake value (SUV). Data were analyzed with repeated-measures analysis of variance and the Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison test. Linear regression was used to compare SUV and HBF in tumors and normal tissue.


RESULTS
In the hypovascular tumor core, (a) mean HBF decreased from 262 mL.min-1.100 g-1+/-22 (standard deviation) at baseline to 101 mL.min-1.100 g-1+/-62 at the end of the study (P<.05) and (b) mean SUV increased from 2.12 g/mL+/-0.06 to 4.56 g/mL+/-0.73 (P<.05) during the same period.


CONCLUSIONS
Functional CT in combination with FDG PET can be used to observe changes in HBF and glucose utilization in a growing liver tumor.
Stewart
Errol E
EE
Lawson Health Research Institute, St Joseph's Health Care London, and Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Chen
Xaiogang
X
Hadway
Jennifer
J
Lee
Ting-Yim
TY
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000503:physiopathology; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000502:physiology; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002933:Cineradiography; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008099:Liver / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000503:physiopathology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation; D011817:Rabbits; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose