Positron emission tomography in oncology

摘要

Positron emission tomography (PET) has been developed to visualize biochemical and physiological phenomena in living humans. Blood flow, blood volume, glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, neural transmission system functions can be quantitatively estimated by means of PET with various radioactive tracers. A glucose analog, 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose, has been utilized to evaluate glucose metabolism. The whole body PET scanner enables imaging of brain; heart, and neoplasms within an hour. Screening for cancer and evaluation of remote metastasis, recurrence, and effects of radio-chemotherapy are now performed clinically. Further development of the tracers may enable a visualization of gene expression by means of radioactive anti-sense nucleic acids. In regeneration medicine, functional recovery can be estimated by means of PET.