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Correlation of 4′-[methyl-11C]-thiothymidine uptake with Ki-67 immunohistochemistry and tumor grade in patients with newly diagnosed gliomas in comparison with 11C-methionine uptake

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Abstract

Objective

A novel radiopharmaceutical, 4′-[methyl-11C]thiothymidine (11C-4DST), has been developed as an in vivo cell proliferation marker based on the DNA incorporation method. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 11C-4DST uptake in patients with newly diagnosed glioma and to correlate the results with proliferative activity and tumor grade, in comparison with l-[methyl-11C]-methionine (11C-MET).

Methods

Investigations of 11C-4DST and 11C-MET PET/CT were performed retrospectively in 23 patients with newly diagnosed glioma. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) for tumor (T) and the mean SUV for normal contralateral hemisphere (N) were calculated, and the tumor-to-normal (T/N) ratio was determined. Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) was defined as the volume with a threshold of 40 % of the SUVmax. Proliferative activity as indicated by the Ki-67 index was estimated in tissue specimens.

Results

Of 23 gliomas examined, 11C-4DST PET/CT and 11C-MET PET/CT detected 20 and 22, respectively. Linear regression analysis between 11C-4DST and 11C-MET indicated a weak correlation for SUVmax (r = 0.54, P < 0.008), for T/N ratio (r = 0.56, P < 0.006), and for MTV (r = 0.60, P < 0.003). Linear regression analysis indicated a weak correlation between 11C-4DST and Ki-67 index for SUVmax (r = 0.46, P < 0.03), for T/N ratio (r = 0.43, P < 0.05), and for MTV (r = 0.68, P < 0.001) and between 11C-MET MTV and Ki-67 index (r = 0.43, P < 0.04). Using 11C-4DST, there was a significant difference in SUVmax between grades II and IV (P < 0.03) and in MTV between grades II and IV (P < 0.009) and grades III and IV (P < 0.02). Using 11C-MET, there was a significant difference in SUVmax (P < 0.009) and T/N ratio (P < 0.02) between grades II and IV and in MTV between grades II and IV (P < 0.03) and grades III and IV (P < 0.02).

Conclusion

11C-4DST PET/CT is feasible for imaging of brain gliomas, as well as 11C-MET PET/CT. Especially, it showed the highest correlation coefficient between 11C-4DST MTV and Ki-67 index in newly diagnosed gliomas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa, 761-0793, Japan

    Kenichi Tanaka, Yuka Yamamoto, Yukito Maeda & Yoshihiro Nishiyama

  2. Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kita-gun, Kagawa, Japan

    Hiroyuki Yamamoto & Nobuyuki Kudomi

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Kagawa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan

    Nobuyuki Kawai

  4. Research Team for Neuroimaging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan

    Jun Toyohara

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  1. Kenichi Tanaka
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  2. Yuka Yamamoto
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  3. Yukito Maeda
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  4. Hiroyuki Yamamoto
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  6. Nobuyuki Kawai
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  7. Jun Toyohara
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  8. Yoshihiro Nishiyama
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Correspondence to Yuka Yamamoto.

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Tanaka, K., Yamamoto, Y., Maeda, Y. et al. Correlation of 4′-[methyl-11C]-thiothymidine uptake with Ki-67 immunohistochemistry and tumor grade in patients with newly diagnosed gliomas in comparison with 11C-methionine uptake. Ann Nucl Med 30, 89–96 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-015-1035-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-015-1035-x

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