Evaluation of glucose transport in malignant glioma by PET.

Using dynamic PET mode and 18FDG, glucose transport in patients with gliomas were investigated. The values for transfer rate constants k1*, k2*, k3*, and glucose consumption were found to be low in the low-grade glioma as compared to those of the high-grade glioma and the contralateral cerebral cortex. The differences were statistically significant with the exception of k2*. There were no statistically significant differences between the high-grade glioma and the contralateral cerebral cortex. In contrast, the distribution volumes k1*/k2* and k1*/(k2* + k3*) were low in high-grade glioma and the difference between the high-grade glioma and the contralateral cerebral cortex was statistically significant. A difference in k1*/(k2* + k3*) was noted between the low-grade and the high-grade gliomas. Thus, the distribution volumes are most sensitive for differentiation between high-grade glioma and cerebral cortex.