Comparison of [18F]Fluoroethyltyrosine PET and Sodium MRI in Cerebral Gliomas: a Pilot Study

Abstract

Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) using O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine ([18F]FET) improves the diagnostics of cerebral gliomas compared with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sodium MRI is an evolving method to assess tumor metabolism. In this pilot study, we explored the relationship of [18F]FET-PET and sodium MRI in patients with cerebral gliomas in relation to the mutational status of the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). Procedures: Ten patients with untreated cerebral gliomas and one patient with a recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) were investigated by dynamic [18F]FET-PET and sodium MRI using an enhanced simultaneous single-quantum- and triple-quantum-filtered imaging of 23Na (SISTINA) sequence to estimate total (NaT), weighted non-restricted (NaNR, mainly extracellular), and restricted (NaR, mainly intracellular) sodium in tumors and normal brain tissue. [18F]FET uptake and sodium parameters in tumors with a different IDH mutational status were compared. After biopsy or resection, histology and the IDH mutational status were determined neuropathologically. Results: NaT (p = 0.05), tumor-to-brain ratios (TBR) of NaT (p = 0.02), NaNR (p = 0.003), and the ratio of NaT/NaR (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in IDH-mutated than in IDH-wild-type gliomas (n = 5 patients each) while NaR was significantly lower in IDH-mutated gliomas (p = 0.01). [18F]FET parameters (TBR, time-to-peak) were not predictive of IDH status in this small cohort of patients. There was no obvious relationship between sodium distribution and [18F]FET uptake. The patient with a recurrent GBM exhibited an additional radiation injury with strong abnormalities in sodium MRI. Conclusions: Sodium MRI appears to be more strongly related to the IDH mutational status than are [18F]FET-PET parameters. A further evaluation of the combination of the two methods in a larger group of high- and low-grade gliomas seems promising.