The Open Neurosurgery Journal

2012, 5 : 8-11
Published online 2012 March 15. DOI: 10.2174/1876529701205010008
Publisher ID: TONEUROSJ-5-8

Usefulness of C-Methionine Positron Emission Tomography in Differential Diagnosis between Recurrent Tumours and Radiation Necro-sis in Patients with Glioma: An Overview

Maria Vittoria Mattoli , Giorgio Treglia , Gianluca Trevisi , Barbara Muoio and Ernesto Cason
Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy, Largo Gemelli, 8; zip code: 00168.

ABSTRACT

Differential diagnosis between radiation necrosis and tumour recurrence is important in the clinical manage-ment of patients with glioma. We performed an overview of the literature in order to summarize the role of 11C-methionine positron emission tomography (MET-PET) in this setting. This functional imaging method appears to have a high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in differentiating between glioma recurrence and radiation necrosis. Neverthe-less, possible false negative and false positive results of MET-PET should be well kept in mind in the management of pa-tients with glioma.