Utility of 18F-FDG PET in evaluating cancers of lung.

Abstract

PET has seen rapid progression in recent years, with applications in oncology leading the way. The glucose analog (18)F-FDG is the most commonly used PET radiopharmaceutical and has been shown to accumulate avidly in several different neoplasms, including cancers of the lung. The following discussion will review the physiologic basis for the uptake of (18)F-FDG in lung neoplasms and demonstrate the utility of (18)F-FDG PET in lung cancer. A brief review of other PET radiopharmaceuticals in lung cancer imaging, and dual-modality PET/CT scanners, will be presented. Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to describe the pharmacokinetics of (18)F-FDG and discuss the efficacy of (18)F-FDG PET scans in the evaluation of solitary pulmonary nodules, disease staging, and monitoring response to therapy. Additionally, the reader should be able to compare (18)F-FDG PET with conventional anatomic imaging and describe some of the technical challenges of PET/CT fusion imaging.

• Authors: Matthew R Acker, Steven C Burrell
• Journal: Journal of nuclear medicine technology (J Nucl Med Technol) Vol. 33 Issue 2 Pg. 69-74; quiz 75-7 (Jun 2005) ISSN: 0091-4916 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15930019 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Radiopharmaceuticals
• Fluorodeoxyglucose F18

Topics

• Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 (pharmacokinetics)
• Humans
• Lung Neoplasms (diagnostic imaging, metabolism, pathology)
• Neoplasm Staging
• Positron-Emission Tomography (methods)
• Practice Guidelines as Topic
• Practice Patterns, Physicians'
• Radiopharmaceuticals (pharmacokinetics)
• Reproducibility of Results
• Sensitivity and Specificity