Biomaterial Database

PET Imaging of cerebral astrocytoma with 13N-ammonia. 2006

Zhang Xiangsong, and Liang Changhong, and Chen Weian, and Zhou Dong

Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. sd_zh@163.net

We performed this study in order to assess the clinical potential of (13)N-ammonia PET in patients with cerebral astrocytoma. METHODS Dynamic 13N-ammonia PET was performed in 25 patients with suspected cerebral gliomas or recurrent cerebral astrocytomas (19 male and 6 female patients; age range 18-64 years) detected by MRI. The histopathological diagnoses were made for all cases either by biopsy or craniotomy, except for one patient with brain infarction and one patient with brain radiation necrosis confirmed by repeated MRI imaging. PET images were visually inspected, and the tumor-to-white matter count (T/W) ratios and the perfusion index (PI) of the tumors were determined. RESULTS Six out of nine cases of low-grade gliomas were detected with 13N-ammonia PET, and three non-astrocytoma low-grade gliomas were not detected with 13N-ammonia PET. All 11 high-grade astrocytomas exhibited markedly increased uptake of 13N-ammonia. The five non-neoplastic lesions exhibited low uptake, low T/W ratios and low PI. The significant differences were observed between high-grade and low-grade gliomas with respect to both the T/W ratios and PI (T/W ratios: 5.92+/-2.27, n=11 vs. 1.66+/-0.61, n=9, P<0.01; PI: 5.22+/-1.67, n=11 vs. 1.60+/-0.54, n=9, P<0.01). There were the significant differences between the T/W ratios and PI in low-grade astrocytomas and that in non-neoplastic lesions (T/W ratios: 2.00+/-0.42, n=6 vs. 0.97+/-0.11, n=5, P<0.01; PI: 1.89+/-0.37, n=6 vs. 0.99+/-0.03, n=5, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS There is a substantial uptake of 13N-ammonia in cerebral astrocytomas. 13N-ammonia PET may enable differentiation between low- and high-grade astrocytomas, and has the potential to enable differentiation between low-grade astrocytomas and non-neoplastic lesions.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009367	Neoplasm Staging	Methods which attempt to express in replicable terms the extent of the neoplasm in the patient.	Cancer Staging,Staging, Neoplasm,Tumor Staging,TNM Classification,TNM Staging,TNM Staging System,Classification, TNM,Classifications, TNM,Staging System, TNM,Staging Systems, TNM,Staging, Cancer,Staging, TNM,Staging, Tumor,System, TNM Staging,Systems, TNM Staging,TNM Classifications,TNM Staging Systems
D009587	Nitrogen Isotopes	Stable nitrogen atoms that have the same atomic number as the element nitrogen but differ in atomic weight. N-15 is a stable nitrogen isotope.	Nitrogen Isotope,Isotope, Nitrogen,Isotopes, Nitrogen
D001932	Brain Neoplasms	Neoplasms of the intracranial components of the central nervous system, including the cerebral hemispheres, basal ganglia, hypothalamus, thalamus, brain stem, and cerebellum. Brain neoplasms are subdivided into primary (originating from brain tissue) and secondary (i.e., metastatic) forms. Primary neoplasms are subdivided into benign and malignant forms. In general, brain tumors may also be classified by age of onset, histologic type, or presenting location in the brain.	Brain Cancer,Brain Metastases,Brain Tumors,Cancer of Brain,Malignant Primary Brain Tumors,Neoplasms, Intracranial,Benign Neoplasms, Brain,Brain Neoplasm, Primary,Brain Neoplasms, Benign,Brain Neoplasms, Malignant,Brain Neoplasms, Malignant, Primary,Brain Neoplasms, Primary Malignant,Brain Tumor, Primary,Brain Tumor, Recurrent,Cancer of the Brain,Intracranial Neoplasms,Malignant Neoplasms, Brain,Malignant Primary Brain Neoplasms,Neoplasms, Brain,Neoplasms, Brain, Benign,Neoplasms, Brain, Malignant,Neoplasms, Brain, Primary,Primary Brain Neoplasms,Primary Malignant Brain Neoplasms,Primary Malignant Brain Tumors,Benign Brain Neoplasm,Benign Brain Neoplasms,Benign Neoplasm, Brain,Brain Benign Neoplasm,Brain Benign Neoplasms,Brain Cancers,Brain Malignant Neoplasm,Brain Malignant Neoplasms,Brain Metastase,Brain Neoplasm,Brain Neoplasm, Benign,Brain Neoplasm, Malignant,Brain Neoplasms, Primary,Brain Tumor,Brain Tumors, Recurrent,Cancer, Brain,Intracranial Neoplasm,Malignant Brain Neoplasm,Malignant Brain Neoplasms,Malignant Neoplasm, Brain,Neoplasm, Brain,Neoplasm, Intracranial,Primary Brain Neoplasm,Primary Brain Tumor,Primary Brain Tumors,Recurrent Brain Tumor,Recurrent Brain Tumors,Tumor, Brain
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D000641	Ammonia	A colorless alkaline gas. It is formed in the body during decomposition of organic materials during a large number of metabolically important reactions. Note that the aqueous form of ammonia is referred to as AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE.
D001254	Astrocytoma	Neoplasms of the brain and spinal cord derived from glial cells which vary from histologically benign forms to highly anaplastic and malignant tumors. Fibrillary astrocytomas are the most common type and may be classified in order of increasing malignancy (grades I through IV). In the first two decades of life, astrocytomas tend to originate in the cerebellar hemispheres; in adults, they most frequently arise in the cerebrum and frequently undergo malignant transformation. (From Devita et al., Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 5th ed, pp2013-7; Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed, p1082)	Astrocytoma, Subependymal Giant Cell,Glioma, Astrocytic,Oligoastrocytoma, Mixed,Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytomas,Anaplastic Astrocytoma,Astrocytoma, Grade I,Astrocytoma, Grade II,Astrocytoma, Grade III,Astrocytoma, Protoplasmic,Astroglioma,Cerebral Astrocytoma,Childhood Cerebral Astrocytoma,Fibrillary Astrocytoma,Gemistocytic Astrocytoma,Intracranial Astrocytoma,Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma,Pilocytic Astrocytoma,Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma,Anaplastic Astrocytomas,Astrocytic Glioma,Astrocytic Gliomas,Astrocytoma, Anaplastic,Astrocytoma, Cerebral,Astrocytoma, Childhood Cerebral,Astrocytoma, Fibrillary,Astrocytoma, Gemistocytic,Astrocytoma, Intracranial,Astrocytoma, Juvenile Pilocytic,Astrocytoma, Pilocytic,Astrocytomas,Astrocytomas, Grade III,Astrogliomas,Cerebral Astrocytoma, Childhood,Cerebral Astrocytomas,Childhood Cerebral Astrocytomas,Fibrillary Astrocytomas,Gemistocytic Astrocytomas,Gliomas, Astrocytic,Grade I Astrocytoma,Grade I Astrocytomas,Grade II Astrocytoma,Grade II Astrocytomas,Grade III Astrocytoma,Grade III Astrocytomas,Intracranial Astrocytomas,Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytomas,Mixed Oligoastrocytoma,Mixed Oligoastrocytomas,Pilocytic Astrocytoma, Juvenile,Pilocytic Astrocytomas,Pleomorphic Xanthoastrocytoma,Protoplasmic Astrocytoma,Protoplasmic Astrocytomas,Xanthoastrocytoma, Pleomorphic