TY - JOUR
T1 - Prognostic significance of amino acid transport imaging in patients with brain tumors
AU - Weckesser, Matthias
AU - Matheja, Peter
AU - Schwarzrock, Antje
AU - Rickert, Christian H.
AU - Sträter, Ronald
AU - Palkovic, Stefan
AU - Riemann, Burkhard
AU - Kopka, Klaus
AU - Lüdemann, Peter
AU - Paulus, Werner
AU - Wassmann, Hansdetlef
AU - Schober, Otmar
AU - Friedman, Allan H.
AU - Glick, Roberta P.
AU - Piepmeier, Joseph M.
AU - Berger, Mitchel S.
AU - Warnke, Peter C.
PY - 2002/5/1
Y1 - 2002/5/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic significance of presence, intensity, and extent of amino acid uptake in patients with suspected primary or recurrent brain tumors. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 181 consecutive studies of amino acid uptake using single-photon emission computed tomography and the amino acid L-[3-123I]iodo-α-methyltyrosine (IMT). In a blinded analysis, all studies were evaluated for presence, maximal uptake (IMTmax), and extent (IMText) of focal tracer uptake. RESULTS: The most frequent tumors were 53 astrocytomas (World Health Organization Grade I-III), 41 glioblastomas, 16 metastases, 13 oligodendrogliomas (Grade II-III), and 10 medulloblastomas. The other patients exhibited various parenchymal tumors or nonneoplastic lesions. IMT uptake was present in 69% of the patients with IMTmax ranging from 1.4 to 6.2. IMTmax and IMText were significant predictors of survival in the whole group. When the group was divided according to primary versus recurrent tumor, only the primary tumors achieved a high level of significance (P < 0.01). When patients without any IMT uptake were excluded from the analysis, statistical significance for both IMTmax and IMText was lost. Multiple regression analysis, including IMTmax, IMText, age, and tumor grade, revealed only extent of IMT uptake as an independent predictor of prognosis. CONCLUSION: Absence of IMT uptake is a significant predictor of long-term survival in patients with suspected primary or recurrent brain tumors. Only the extent of a given lesion provided minor supplementary prognostic information as compared with histopathology and age. These findings suggest caution in relating high amino acid uptake values to poor prognosis, despite the capability of amino acid imaging to help determine the presence and extent of gliomas.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic significance of presence, intensity, and extent of amino acid uptake in patients with suspected primary or recurrent brain tumors. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 181 consecutive studies of amino acid uptake using single-photon emission computed tomography and the amino acid L-[3-123I]iodo-α-methyltyrosine (IMT). In a blinded analysis, all studies were evaluated for presence, maximal uptake (IMTmax), and extent (IMText) of focal tracer uptake. RESULTS: The most frequent tumors were 53 astrocytomas (World Health Organization Grade I-III), 41 glioblastomas, 16 metastases, 13 oligodendrogliomas (Grade II-III), and 10 medulloblastomas. The other patients exhibited various parenchymal tumors or nonneoplastic lesions. IMT uptake was present in 69% of the patients with IMTmax ranging from 1.4 to 6.2. IMTmax and IMText were significant predictors of survival in the whole group. When the group was divided according to primary versus recurrent tumor, only the primary tumors achieved a high level of significance (P < 0.01). When patients without any IMT uptake were excluded from the analysis, statistical significance for both IMTmax and IMText was lost. Multiple regression analysis, including IMTmax, IMText, age, and tumor grade, revealed only extent of IMT uptake as an independent predictor of prognosis. CONCLUSION: Absence of IMT uptake is a significant predictor of long-term survival in patients with suspected primary or recurrent brain tumors. Only the extent of a given lesion provided minor supplementary prognostic information as compared with histopathology and age. These findings suggest caution in relating high amino acid uptake values to poor prognosis, despite the capability of amino acid imaging to help determine the presence and extent of gliomas.
KW - Amino acids
KW - Brain neoplasms
KW - Emission computed tomography
KW - Prognosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036590059&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/00006123-200205000-00007
DO - 10.1097/00006123-200205000-00007
M3 - Article
C2 - 11950398
AN - SCOPUS:0036590059
SN - 0148-396X
VL - 50
SP - 958
EP - 965
JO - Neurosurgery
JF - Neurosurgery
IS - 5
ER -