Table 1.
Frequently used PET tracers for the delineation of tumor extent, diagnosis of treatment-related changes, and the assessment of treatment response in brain tumor imaging.
| Imaging Target and Corresponding Tracers | Delineation of Tumor Extent | Diagnosis of Treatment-Related Changes | Assessment of Treatment Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glucose metabolism | |||
| [18F]FDG | - | + | - |
| Amino acid transport | |||
| [18F]FET | ++ | ++ 1 | ++ 2 |
| [11C]MET | ++ | + | ++ |
| [18F]FDOPA | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| [11C]AMT | (++) | (++) | n.a. |
| [18F]FACBC | (++) | n.a. | n.a. |
| Mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) | |||
| [18F]GE-180 | unclear | n.a. | n.a. |
| Cellular proliferation | |||
| [18F]FLT | - | + | ++ 3 |
| Hypoxia | |||
| [18F]FMISO | n.a. | n.a. | (++) 3 |
| [18F]FAZA | n.a. | n.a. | (++) 3 |
| Perfusion | |||
| [15O]H2O | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
| Angiogenesis | |||
| [89Zr]bevacizumab | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
++ = high diagnostic accuracy; (++) = high diagnostic accuracy, but limited data available; + = limited diagnostic accuracy; - = not helpful; 1 = increased accuracy when using dynamic [18F]FET PET; 2 = in enhancing and non-enhancing tumors; 3 = in patients undergoing antiangiogenic treatment with bevacizumab; [11C]AMT = α-[11C]-methyl-L-tryptophan; [18F]FACB = anti-1-amino-3-[18F]fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid; [18F]FAZA = [18F]flouroazomycin arabinoside; [18F]FDG = [18F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose; [18F]FDOPA = 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]fluoro-L-phenylalanine; [18F]FET = O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine; [18F]FLT = 3′-deoxy-3′-[18F]flurothymidine; [18F]FMISO = [18F]fluoromisonidazole; [15O]H2O = radiolabeled water; [11C]MET = [11C]methyl-L-methionine; n.a. = only preliminary or no data available.