PET/MR Imaging and Optical Imaging of Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma in Mice

Abstract

We established a unique model of metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma with a high frequency of tumor occurrence and easy monitoring of the tumor growth based on reporter gene expression. The accurate detection of rhabdomyosarcoma requires high soft-tissue contrast provided by the MR imaging and high tracer uptake for PET, which was achieved with (18)F-FLT as the tracer before and (18)F-FDG after treatment with vincristine. PET/MR imaging allows improved diagnosis of experimental rhabdomyosarcoma and therefore might influence clinical therapeutic decisions in the future.