Lung carcinoma – imaging on the molecular level

05/2020

Prof. MUDr. Jiří Ferda, Ph.D.¹, MUDr. Eva Ferdová¹, doc. MUDr. Jan Baxa, Ph.D.¹, prof. MUDr. Miloš Pešek, CSc.², MUDr. Petr Mukenšnabl, Ph.D.³, doc. MUDr. Hynek Mírka, Ph.D.¹

​​​​​​¹ Klinika zobrazovacích metod LF UK a FN Plzeň

² Klinika pneumologie a ftizeologie LF UK a FN Plzeň

³ Šiklův ústav patologické anatomie LF UK a FN Plzeň

SUMMARY

Molecular imaging in lung carcinoma are being the basic diagnostic approaches in the confirmation of the tumorous origin of the disease, but also in staging and restaging of the disease. Positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) with the application of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose is the most frequent molecular imaging in lung tumors, it is used as the fundament of the clinical stage of the disease before start of the treatment. Positron emission tomography / magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) enables to complete the imaging with the full valid brain magnetic resonance imaging during the own procedure, the main disadvantage of PET/MRI is the prolonged scanning, making time unacceptable for those patients, who are heavier clinical state. The alternative way of the pharmacokinetics evaluation could be the analysis of iodine content within tissues using dynamic perfusion computed tomography (CT) or dual-energy CT. The use of other radiopharmaceuticals like ¹⁸F-ftuorthymidine in tissue proliferation or ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA derivate in the assessment of somatostatin receptor density could provide the supplementary information about tumor biology.

Key words

lung carcinoma, perfusion CT, dual-energy CT, PET/CT, PET/MRI