@article {Cohenjnumed.120.261594, author = {Allison S Cohen and Joe Grudzinski and Gary T. Smith and Todd E. Peterson and Jennifer G. Whisenant and Tiffany L. Hickman and Kristen K. Ciombor and Dana Cardin and Cathy Eng and Laura W. Goff and Satya Das and Robert J. Coffey and Jordan D. Berlin and Henry Charles Manning}, title = {First-in-human PET imaging and estimated radiation dosimetry of L-[5-11C]-glutamine in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer}, elocation-id = {jnumed.120.261594}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.2967/jnumed.120.261594}, publisher = {Society of Nuclear Medicine}, abstract = {Altered metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. In addition to glucose, glutamine is an important nutrient for cellular growth and proliferation. Non-invasive imaging via positron emission tomography (PET) may help facilitate precision treatment of cancer through patient selection and monitoring of treatment response. L-[5-11C]-glutamine (11C-glutamine) is a PET tracer designed to study glutamine uptake and metabolism. The aim of this first-in-human study was to evaluate the radiologic safety and biodistribution of 11C-glutamine for oncologic PET imaging. Methods: Nine patients with confirmed metastatic colorectal cancer underwent PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging. Patients received 337.97 {\textpm} 44.08 MBq of 11C-glutamine. Dynamic PET acquisitions centered over the abdomen or thorax were initiated simultaneously with intravenous tracer administration. Following the dynamic acquisition, a whole-body PET/CT was acquired. Volume-of-interest analyses were carried out to obtain estimates of organ-based absorbed doses of radiation. Results: 11C-glutamine was well-tolerated in all patients with no observed safety concerns. Organs with the highest radiation exposure included the bladder, pancreas, and liver. The estimated effective dose was 4.46E-03 {\textpm} 7.67E-04 mSv/MBq. Accumulation of 11C-glutamine was elevated and visualized in lung, brain, bone, and liver metastases, suggesting utility for cancer imaging. Conclusion: PET using 11C-glutamine appears safe for human use and allows non-invasive visualization of metastatic colon cancer lesions in multiple organs. Further studies are needed to elucidate its potential for other cancers and for monitoring response to treatment.}, issn = {0161-5505}, URL = {https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/early/2021/04/30/jnumed.120.261594}, eprint = {https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/early/2021/04/30/jnumed.120.261594.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Nuclear Medicine} }