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High-Grade Brain Tumours: Evaluation of New Brain Lesions by Amino Acid PET

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Tumors of the Central Nervous System, Volume 4

Part of the book series: Tumors of the Central Nervous System ((TCNS,volume 4))

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Abstract

Amino acid PET provides very sensitive means to detect brain tumours, especially gliomas, and might therefore influence decision-making including selection for active treatment. Malignant cells show increased amino acid transport and are therefore a possible target for isotope labelled amino acid imaging, whereas FDG PET does not provide optimal diagnostic value in brain tumours due to high back-ground activity in brain. Most promising 18F-FET seems to require the prerequisites for brain tumour imaging. FET PET is a 18F-labeled amino acid (tyrosine) that can be produced in large amounts for clinical purposes. FET PET may be used for evaluation of newly diagnosed brain lesions including optimal guidance of biopsies, treatment monitoring of high grade glioma and improved treatment planning of radiotherapy. Sensitivity of FET PET for high grade glioma can be estimated at 90% or even higher, but cerebral gliomatosis may appear FET negative. On the other hand FET PET is not useful to exclude any brain glioma as many low grade gliomas do not show marked uptake of this tracer. Low grade gliomas without marked FET uptake have far better prognosis in respect to malignant transformation and death than have FET avid lesions. Evaluation of newly observed brain lesions by FET PET will most probably be included in the standard diagnostic approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Transportation Research Institute, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 481 09-2150, USA

    Robert Pichler & Sabine Spiegl-Kreinecker

  2. Institute of Neurosurgery, Landes-Nervenklinik Wagner-Jauregg, 4020, Linz, Austria

    Gabriele Wurm

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  1. Robert Pichler
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  2. Sabine Spiegl-Kreinecker
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  3. Gabriele Wurm
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Correspondence to Robert Pichler .

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  1. , Kean University, Room 213, Library building, Morris Avenue 1000, Union, 07083, New Jersey, USA

    M.A. Hayat

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Pichler, R., Spiegl-Kreinecker, S., Wurm, G. (2012). High-Grade Brain Tumours: Evaluation of New Brain Lesions by Amino Acid PET. In: Hayat, M. (eds) Tumors of the Central Nervous System, Volume 4. Tumors of the Central Nervous System, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1706-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1706-0_12

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