Evaluation of DNA synthesis with carbon-11-labeled 4′-thiothymidine

Figure 7 4’-[methyl-¹¹C]-thiothymidine uptake in oligodendroglioma. A patient was diagnosed with grade 2 astrocytoma during the initial operation. At the 1-year follow-up, an enhanced lesion appeared on MRI and ¹¹C-MET uptake increased around the initially resected lesion. These findings suggested that the malignant transformation of astrocytoma occurred. However, ¹¹C-4DST uptake into the tumor was not different from basal brain levels. The pathological diagnosis at the second operation was grade 2 oligodendrocytoma with a newly appearing oligodendroglioma component, but without malignant transformation. Reprinted from Nariai et al[14], with the permission of Springer. ¹¹C-4DST: 4’-[methyl-¹¹C]-thiothymidine; ¹¹C-MET: ¹¹C-Methionine; Gd-MRI: Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance image.