Differential diagnosis of AH109A tumor and inflammation by radioscintigraphy with L-[methyl-11C]methionine.

For the evaluation of tumor imaging with L-[methyl-11C]methionine (11C-Met), a basic study on the differentiation of tumor from inflammation with 11C-Met and a comparison of the diagnostic value of the image with that obtained using 67Ga citrate, a conventional scintigraphic agent, are important. 11C-Met accumulations into inflammatory lesions, AH109A tumor and normal tissues of rats were examined by means of a tissue distribution study. Aseptic inflammatory lesions on the back of Donryu rats induced by croton oil and 1.5% carrageenan showed significantly lower accumulations of 11C-Met than the AH109A tumor. Histologically, croton oil induced granulomatous inflammation and carrageenan, acute exudative inflammation. Whole-body autoradiography with 14C-Met, a substitute for 11C-Met, was negative in the carrageenan lesion and showed a slightly increased activity at the periphery of the croton oil lesion, in contrast with the high tumor activity. Whole-body autoradiography with 67Ga citrate was performed to compare the imaging ability with that of 14C-Met; it showed high activities in the tumor, bone, and intestine, and a broad increased activity at the periphery of the croton oil lesion, but was negative in the carrageenan lesion. 11C-Met accumulations in the inflammations were very low and clinical application with positron emission tomography, should be useful for the differential diagnosis of tumor from inflammation.