A study of the metabolism of transplanted tumor in the lung by micro PET/CT in mice

The difference of tumor metabolism from that of normal tissue is an important factor for diagnosis through functional imaging such as positron emission tomography (PET). A quantitative description of the metabolic process will help to improve the diagnosis methods. In this study, the metabolism of tumor in lung was quantitatively described in mice. The melanoma was transplanted into the lung of mice, and the metabolism of the transplanted tumor was detected by micro PET/CT with [18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG). Nine mice were transplanted with B16 melanoma cells through their tail vein. Lung tumor was detected by pathological method. The lesions smaller than 1 mm could hardly be directly detected directly by micro PET/CT, while the tumor with a 1–4 mm diameter could be detected by micro PET/CT. A metabolic model with three compartments was separately established for lung tumors and normal lung tissues. In this model, the lung cancer had a significantly higher metabolic rate constant as compared to that of the normal lung tissue (p = 0.01). The outputs of the model fit well with the original curve from the dynamic images. It is also found that difference of tissue activity between tumors and normal lung tissues varied along scan time. Through this comparison, it was suggested that the difference in metabolism between the lung tissue and the tumor might contribute to the tumor diagnosis.