PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Yamamoto, Yuka
AU  - Nishiyama, Yoshihiro
AU  - Kameyama, Reiko
AU  - Okano, Keiichi
AU  - Kashiwagi, Hirotaka
AU  - Deguchi, Akihiro
AU  - Kaji, Masato
AU  - Ohkawa, Motoomi
TI  - Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using <sup>11</sup>C-Choline PET: Comparison with <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET
AID  - 10.2967/jnumed.108.052639
DP  - 2008 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 1245--1248
VI  - 49
IP  - 8
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/49/8/1245.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/49/8/1245.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2008 Aug 01; 49
AB  - The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the feasibility of 11C-choline PET, compared with 18F-FDG PET, for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 16 HCC lesions in 12 patients were examined with both 11C-choline PET and 18F-FDG PET. Tumor lesions were identified as areas of focally increased uptake, exceeding that of surrounding noncancerous liver tissue. For semiquantitative analysis, the tumor-to-liver (T/L) ratio was calculated by dividing the maximal standardized uptake value (SUV) in HCC lesions by the mean SUV in noncancerous liver tissue. Results: 11C-choline PET showed a slightly higher detection rate than did 18F-FDG PET for detection of HCC (63% vs. 50%, respectively), although this difference was not statistically significant. 11C-choline PET had a better detection rate for moderately differentiated HCC lesions but not for those poorly differentiated (75% vs. 25%, respectively). In contrast, 18F-FDG PET exhibited the opposite behavior, with corresponding detection rates of 42% and 75%, respectively. The mean 11C-choline SUV and T/L ratio in moderately differentiated HCC lesions were higher than those in poorly differentiated HCC lesions. In contrast, the mean 18F-FDG SUV and T/L ratio in poorly differentiated HCC were higher than those in moderately differentiated HCC. These differences, however, were also not statistically significant. Conclusion: 11C-choline PET had a better detection rate for moderately differentiated HCC lesions but not for poorly differentiated HCC lesions, whereas 18F-FDG PET produced the opposite result. 11C-choline is a potential tracer to complement 18F-FDG in detection of HCC lesions.