Correlation of 6-¹⁸F-Fluoro-l-Dopa PET Uptake with Proliferation and Tumor Grade in Newly Diagnosed and Recurrent Gliomas

Abstract

(18)F-FDOPA uptake is significantly higher in high-grade than in low-grade tumors in newly diagnosed but not recurrent tumors that had been treated previously. A significant correlation between (18)F-FDOPA uptake and tumor proliferation in newly diagnosed tumors was observed, whereas this correlation was not identified for recurrent tumors. Thus, (18)F-FDOPA PET might serve as a noninvasive marker of tumor grading and might provide a useful surrogate of tumor proliferative activity in newly diagnosed gliomas.