Oxidative stress, anti-oxidants and the cross-sectional and longitudinal association with depressive symptoms: results from the CARDIA study.

Depression may be accompanied by increased oxidative stress and decreased circulating anti-oxidants. This study examines the association between depressive symptoms, F2-isoprostanes and carotenoids in a US community sample. The study includes 3009 participants (mean age 40.3, 54.2% female) from CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults). Cross-sectional analyses were performed on data from the year 15 examination (2000-2001) including subjects whose depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and had measurements of plasma F2-isoprostanes (gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) or serum carotenoids (high-performance liquid chromatography). Carotenoids zeaxanthin/lutein, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, α-carotene, ß-carotene were standardized and summed. Longitudinal analyses were conducted using the data from other examinations at 5-year intervals. Cross-lagged analyses investigated whether CES-D predicted F2-isoprostanes or carotenoids at the following exam, and vice versa. Regression analyses were controlled for sociodemographics, health and lifestyle factors. F2-isoprostanes were higher in subjects with depressive symptoms (CES-D ⩾ 16) after adjustment for sociodemographics (55.7 vs 52.0 pg ml(-1); Cohen's d = 0.14, P < 0.001). There was no difference in F2-isoprostanes after further adjustment for health and lifestyle factors. Carotenoids were lower in those with CES-D scores ⩾ 16, even after adjustment for health and lifestyle factors (standardized sum 238.7 vs 244.0, Cohen's d = -0.16, P < 0.001). Longitudinal analyses confirmed that depression predicts subsequent F2-isoprostane and carotenoid levels. Neither F2-isoprostanes nor carotenoids predicted subsequent depression. In conclusion, depressive symptoms were cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with increased F2-isoprostanes and decreased carotenoids. The association with F2-isoprostanes can largely be explained by lifestyle factors, but lower carotenoids were independently associated with depressive symptoms.

Diet quality and markers of endothelial function: the CARDIA study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dietary patterns are associated cross-sectionally with cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs). We studied prospective associations of three dietary patterns with CAMs. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, diet was assessed at years 0 (1985-86) and 7 (1992-93) examinations. Four circulating CAMs (E-selectin, P-selectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), and vascular cellular adhesion molecule (VCAM)) were assayed at years 7 and 15 (2000-01). We created one index score "A Priori Diet Quality Score" and derived dietary patterns using principal components analysis (PCA). Multivariable linear regression models predicted year 15 CAMs from averaged (year 0/7) dietary patterns. The A Priori Diet Quality Score rated 46 food groups beneficial, neutral or adverse based on hypothesized health effects. We derived two PCA dietary patterns: "fruit and vegetables (FV)" (high intakes of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains) and "meat" (high intakes of red meat, refined grain, and butter). All dietary patterns were related to E-selectin and sICAM-1. P-selectin was not related to the FV dietary pattern. VCAM was only related to the A Priori Diet Quality Score. Strongest associations were for the meat dietary pattern with E-selectin (effect size 28% of an SD (+3.9/13.7 ng/mL)) and P-selectin (effect size 37% of an SD (+4.1/11.2 ng/mL)) and the A Priori Diet Quality Score with sICAM-1 (effect size 34% of an SD (-15.1/44.7 ng/mL)) and VCAM (effect size of 26% of an SD (-45.1/170.3 ng/mL)). CONCLUSION: This prospective analysis suggests that dietary patterns are associated with CAMs.

Longitudinal association between serum urate and subclinical atherosclerosis: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine whether serum urate (sUA) concentration is positively associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, independent of body mass index (BMI), amongst generally healthy adults. DESIGN AND SETTING: The CARDIA study followed 5115 Black and White individuals aged 18-30 years in 1985-1986 (year 0). Subclinical atherosclerosis comprised coronary artery calcified plaque (CAC; years 15, 20 and 25), and maximum common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT; year 20). sUA (years 0, 10, 15 and 20) was modelled as gender-specific quartiles that were pooled. Discrete-time hazard regressions and generalized linear regressions were used for analyses. RESULTS: Mean sUA concentration was lower in women than in men and increased with age. Adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors, the highest versus lowest quartile of sUA at year 0 was associated with a 44% [95% confidence interval (CI) 20%, 73%] greater risk of CAC progression from years 15 to 25 (Ptrend  < 0.001), which was attenuated by adjustment for BMI at year 0 (Ptrend  = 0.45). A stronger association was found between sUA at year 15 and CAC progression at year 20 or 25 (hazard ratio 2.07, 95% CI 1.66, 2.58 for the highest versus lowest sUA quartile Ptrend  < 0.001), which was attenuated, but remained significant with additional adjustment for BMI at year 15 (Ptrend  = 0.01). A greater increment in sUA concentration from year 0 to year 15, independent of change in BMI, was related to a higher risk of CAC progression (Ptrend  < 0.001). Similar associations were found between sUA and IMT, but only in men. CONCLUSION: sUA may be an early biomarker for subclinical atherosclerosis in young adults; starting in early middle age, sUA predicts subclinical atherosclerosis independently of BMI.

Higher parity is associated with an increased risk of type-II diabetes in Chinese women: the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: The association between parity and type-II diabetes has been studied primarily in Western populations, and the findings have been inconsistent. Here, we examine whether parity was positively associated with incident type-II diabetes in Singaporean Chinese women. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Singapore. POPULATION: A total of 25,021 Singaporean Chinese women aged 45-74 years from the Singapore Chinese Health Study who were free of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes at baseline (1993-1998). METHODS: Women were followed through 2004 for incident diabetes. Hazard ratios for type-II diabetes were computed across parity (of live births) categories and adjusted for baseline age, interview year, dialect, education, smoking, dietary pattern, physical activity, age at menarche, oral contraceptive use, menopausal status, hormone therapy use, and body mass index (BMI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self-reported diabetes, as diagnosed by a doctor. RESULTS: Over an average of 5.7 person-years of follow-up, 1294 women were diagnosed with diabetes. Before and after multivariable adjustment there was a positive graded association between parity and type-II diabetes risk (P < 0.001). In the fully adjusted model, which included adult BMI, the risk of type-II diabetes increased by 31% (from -2 to 76%), 62% (from 22 to 116%), and 74% (from 29 to 133%) for women with one or two, three or four, and five or more live births, respectively, compared with women with no live births. Moreover, in a supplementary multivariate analysis in non-diabetic women we found a positive monotonic association between parity and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Increased parity may be a risk factor for type-II diabetes in Chinese women. More research is needed on lifestyle and physiologic factors that may explain this association.

Association between genetic variants in adhesion molecules and outcomes after hematopoietic cell transplants.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Adhesion molecules play an important role in endothelial activation and initiation of inflammatory response. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the endothelial molecules may contribute to heterogeneity in HCT outcomes. We evaluated the association of 4 SNPs in ICAM1 (rs5498), PECAM1 (rs668 and rs1131012) and SELL (rs2229569) genes with acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and those experiencing transplant-related mortality (TRM) within 1 year among 425 allogeneic HCT recipient-donor pairs. Using a Fine and Gray proportional hazards model to evaluate the association between genetic variants and clinical outcomes, after adjustment for recipient age, race, diagnosis, disease status, gender mismatch, cytomegalovirus serostatus, gender, donor type, conditioning regimen and year of transplant, only rs5498 in the ICAM1 gene among both recipients and donors was associated with a decreased risk of TRM (P ≤ 0.02). None of the SNPs were associated with acute or chronic GvHD risk. These findings suggest that genetic variants in the vascular adhesion molecules may be used to identify patients at high risk for TRM.

Contemporary nuclear medicine imaging of neuroendocrine tumours.

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare, heterogeneous, and often hormonally active neoplasms. Nuclear medicine (NM) imaging using single photon- and positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals allows sensitive and highly specific molecular imaging of NETs, complementary to anatomy-based techniques, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Somatostatin-receptor scintigraphy is a whole-body imaging technique widely used for diagnosis, staging and restaging of NETs. The increasing availability of hybrid single-photon emission CT (SPECT)/CT cameras now offers superior accuracy for localization and functional characterization of NETs compared to traditional planar and SPECT imaging. The potential role of positron-emission tomography (PET) tracers in the functional imaging of NETs is also being increasingly recognized. In addition to 2-[(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG), newer positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals such as (18)F-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and (68)Ga-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) peptides, show promise for the future. This article will summarize the role of current and emerging radiopharmaceuticals in NM imaging of this rare but important group of tumours.

Molecular imaging in the management of thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy in adults. The disease is classified into papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic types, each with characteristic histology and patterns of biological behavior. Diagnosis of thyroid cancer is usually made by needle aspiration of suspicious thyroid nodules. Disease management of well-differentiated thyroid cancer relies upon characteristic accumulation of radioisotopes of iodine that continues to play a central role in detection and treatment of disease. Recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) is used as an alternative to thyroid hormone withdrawal to provide TSH stimulation necessary for diagnostic radioiodine scintigraphy and preparation for thyroid remnant ablation and cancer therapy. Hybrid SPECT/CT cameras combining functional scintigraphic information with CT anatomy are replacing stand-alone gamma cameras and these devices have been shown to outperform traditional planar and SPECT imaging techniques. Similarly, clinical application of novel radioisotopes like [124I]iodine with PET/CT for thyroid cancer imaging provides improved lesion resolution and direct tumor dosimetry. Alternative tracers such as [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) can be used to evaluate well-differentiated thyroid cancers that no longer express the Na+/I- symporter, with a role in staging Hürthle cell, poorly differentiated, and anaplastic thyroid cancers. Medullary thyroid cancer recurrences are often difficult to detect using conventional imaging and traditional radionuclide studies, whereas [18F]FDG and [18F]fluorodihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) PET and PET/CT show promise for localizing the often elusive source (s) of elevated calcitonin in these patients.

Dual PET/CT with (18)F-DOPA and (18)F-FDG in metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma and rapidly increasing calcitonin levels: Comparison with conventional imaging.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the role of a multi-imaging PET with (18)F-DOPA and (18)F-FDG in comparison with conventional imaging (CI) in recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). METHODS: 18 MTC patients who had thyroidectomy were included; they presented with elevated and rapidly increasing calcitonin levels during follow up. CI had revealed metastatic deposits in 9 patients. Patients were referred to us for a PET/CT with (18)F-DOPA and (18)F-FDG. Histologic/cytologic confirmation of recurrent MTC was obtained in at least one PET-positive lesion in all patients. RESULTS: Foci of abnormal uptake were observed in 15 patients at (18)F-DOPA and in 11 at (18)F-FDG; 8 patients showed the same number of positive lesions with both tracers, 2 showed more lesions on (18)F-FDG, 1 was positive at (18)F-FDG alone and 5 at (18)F-DOPA alone. In 3 patients with a DOPA-positive loco-regional relapse a re-operation with curative intent was offered. SUV(max) values were higher for (18)F-FDG compared to (18)F-DOPA (mean 12.7+/-4.1 vs. 5.5+/-2.1, p<0.05). Calcitonin was higher in PET-positive patients compared to PET negative ones, while no significant differences were observed between (18)F-DOPA and (18)F-FDG positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: In MTC patients with rapidly increasing calcitonin levels during follow up, (18)F-DOPA has a good sensitivity and a complementary role with (18)F-FDG PET/CT in detecting metastatic deposits. In our experience, the sensitivity of a multi-imaging (18)F-DOPA &(18)F-FDG PET/CT approach is greater than that obtained with CI. The higher SUV(max) values found with (18)F-FDG in some patients may reflect more aggressive tumors.

Scintigraphic localization of adrenal tumors.

Scintigraphy has historically added much to the evaluation of adrenal dysfunction and tumor localization. The early development of radiopharmaceuticals for adrenocortical imaging provided vital clinical information well before the widespread availability of computed tomography (CT), but beginning in the early 1980's nuclear imaging became supplanted in large part by high resolution CT and more recently by magnetic resonance imaging. The parallel emergence of radiopharmaceuticals for adrenomedullary imaging also provided important functional insight in evaluating these neoplasms, but despite the clinical value of such nuclear probes they too, were relegated to a less prominent role in tumor characterization because of advances in anatomic imaging. However, with the recent introduction of dual-modality imaging platforms that directly combine CT with scintigraphy, either as single photon emission tomography (SPECT)/CT or positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, nuclear medicine studies once again play an integral role in adrenal tumor evaluation.

The role of PET in the surgical approach to adrenal disease.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate surgical approach to diseases of the adrenal requires a diagnosis sufficient to determine the biochemical status of adrenal dysfunction and anatomic evaluation sufficient to differentiate unilateral from bilateral disease, intra-adrenal from extra-adrenal neoplasm, adrenal tumor recurrence or adrenal metastases. High resolution computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance have been the primary imaging modalities for the evaluation of anatomy, while scintigraphic studies have played a secondary role in diagnosis. The recent availability of functional imaging provided by positron emission tomography (PET) with radiopharmaceuticals designed to depict substrate precursor uptake, cellular metabolism or receptor binding in neoplasms and CT as a single modality, hybrid PET/CT, to directly correlate function and anatomy has had a significant impact upon the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to many cancers and has been applied to adrenal disease with some early success that we describe in this review. METHODS: In addition to the authors' experience, a search of Medline and PubMed databases was performed using search terms: 'adrenal scintigraphy', 'positron tomography', 'computed tomography', 'adrenal surgery', 'adrenal mass', '(18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose', 'adrenal carcinoma', 'adrenal medulla' and 'pheochromocytoma'. CONCLUSIONS: Present PET radiopharmaceuticals and their use in hybrid PET/CT have demonstrated efficacy in the preoperative and follow-up evaluation of neoplasms of the adrenal cortex and medulla that hopefully will continue to improve with the development of newer tracers that continue to exploit unusual characteristics of the adrenals.

Occlusion in implant dentistry. A review of the literature of prosthetic determinants and current concepts.

Today the clinician is faced with widely varying concepts regarding the number, location, distribution and inclination of implants required to support the functional and parafunctional demands of occlusal loading. Primary clinical dilemmas of planning for maximal or minimal numbers of implants, their axial inclination, lengths and required volume and quality of supporting bone remain largely unanswered by adequate clinical outcome research. Planning and executing optimal occlusion schemes is an integral part of implant supported restorations. In its wider sense this includes considerations of multiple inter-relating factors of ensuring adequate bone support, implant location number, length, distribution and inclination, splinting, vertical dimension aesthetics, static and dynamic occlusal schemes and more. Current concepts and research on occlusal loading and overloading are reviewed together with clinical outcome and biomechanical studies and their clinical relevance discussed. A comparison between teeth and implants regarding their proprioceptive properties and mechanisms of supporting functional and parafunctional loading is made and clinical applications made regarding current concepts in restoring the partially edentulous dentition. The relevance of occlusal traumatism and fatigue microdamage alone or in combination with periodontal or peri-implant inflammation is reviewed and applied to clinical considerations regarding splinting of adjacent implants and teeth, posterior support and eccentric guidance schemes. Occlusal restoration of the natural dentition has classically been divided into considerations of planning for sufficient posterior support, occlusal vertical dimension and eccentric guidance to provide comfort and aesthetics. Mutual protection and anterior disclusion have come to be considered as acceptable therapeutic modalities. These concepts have been transferred to the restoration of implant-supported restoration largely by default. However, in light of differences in the supporting mechanisms of implants and teeth many questions remain unanswered regarding the suitability of these modalities for implant supported restorations. These will be discussed and an attempt made to provide some current clinical axioms based where possible on the best available evidence.

Scintigraphic imaging of adrenal disease.

The nuclear medicine approach to adrenal imaging spans six decades with radiopharmaceuticals designed to take advantage of the unique characteristics of the functional divisions of the gland, substrate accumulation, hormone biosynthesis, receptor-ligand interactions and pharmacologic manipulation of mechanisms of central control. The recent introduction of hybrid imaging techniques that combine high resolution anatomy with the functional maps derived from the scintigraphic images is yet another step in the evolution of integrated imaging techniques that can be used to diagnostic advantage in the evaluation of disease of the adrenal gland.

Association between asthma and serum adiponectin concentration in women.

BACKGROUND: The association of murine asthma with adiposity may be mediated by adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory adipokine with reduced serum concentrations in obese subjects. A study was undertaken to examine whether the serum adiponectin concentration is associated with human asthma and whether it explains the association between adiposity and asthma, particularly in women and in premenopausal women. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was performed of 2890 eligible subjects at year 15 of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) cohort and its YALTA ancillary study who had either current asthma or never asthma at that evaluation. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) >or=30 kg/m(2). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed with current asthma status as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Women, but not men, with current asthma had a lower mean unadjusted serum adiponectin concentration than those with never asthma (p<0.001; p for sex interaction <0.001). Similarly, current asthma was related to obesity only in women (OR 3.31, 95% CI 2.00 to 5.46, p for sex interaction = 0.004); this association was little affected by adjusting for serum adiponectin. The prevalence of current asthma in premenopausal women was reduced in the highest compared with the lowest tertile of serum adiponectin concentration (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.84, p = 0.03), after adjusting for BMI. However, the interaction between serum adiponectin concentration and BMI category on current asthma status was not significant in premenopausal women or women overall. CONCLUSIONS: A high serum adiponectin concentration may protect against current asthma in premenopausal women but does not explain the association between asthma and adiposity.

The role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in detecting metastatic deposits of recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma: a prospective study.

AIM: To assess the diagnostic role of 18F-FDG PET/CT performed with a hybrid tomograph in the detection of tumoral deposits of recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). METHODS: Nineteen MTC patients with elevated serum calcitonin levels (58-1350 pg/ml) after first treatment were enrolled (11 F, 8 M, mean age 53.4 years, 14 sporadic MTC, 5 MEN-related MTC). All patients had previously undergone total thyroidectomy and lymphoadenectomy. When referred to us, they were studied with ultrasound (US), 18F-FDG PET/CT, (111)In-pentetreotide scan, and contrast-enhanced whole-body CT (c.e. CT). In 4 patients with equivocal abdominal findings at 18F-FDG PET/CT and/or at c.e. CT, laparoscopy was also performed. RESULTS: 18F-FGD PET/CT depicted metastases in 15 patients, 111In-pentetreotide in 8, c.e. CT in 11, US in 6. In 2 patients, liver micrometastases were detected at laparoscopy only. At a lesion-by-lesion analysis, 18F-FDG PET/CT visualized a total of 26 metastatic deposits, c.e. CT 18, 111In-pentetreotide 12, US 8. Final diagnosis was obtained by cytological or surgical findings. Four patients with evidence of limited metastatic spread to neck/upper mediastinum were re-operated, and in 2 of them serum calcitonin levels normalized. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, 18F-FDG PET/CT was the most sensitive imaging modality in detecting metastases in recurrent MTC patients with increased serum calcitonin levels. Moreover, 18F-FDG PET/CT was useful in some patients to plan a more accurate re-operation. From a diagnostic point of view, a multimodality imaging approach is recommended in recurrent MTC, especially based on the combination of c.e. CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Iodine-131 radio-guided surgery in differentiated thyroid cancer: outcome on 31 patients and review of the literature.

In the present study we investigated the role of radio-guided surgery with Iodine-131 (I-131) in a group of 31 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and loco-regional recurrent disease. The principal inclusion criterion for I-131 radio-guided surgery in our protocol was the presence of an I-131 positive loco-regional disease relapse after previous total thyroidectomy and at least 2 ineffective conventional I-131 treatments. The protocol we used consisted of the following steps. Day 0: all patients were hospitalized and received a therapeutic 3.7 GBq (100 mCi) dose of I-131 after thyroid hormone therapy withdrawal in condition of overt hypothyroidism (serum TSH levels>30 microUI/ml). Day 3: a whole body scan following the therapeutic I-131 dose (TxWBS) administration was acquired. Day 5: neck surgery was performed through a wide bilateral neck exploration using a 15-mm collimated gamma probe, measuring the absolute intra-operative counts and calculating the lesion to background (L/B) ratio. Day 7: post-surgery TxWBS was performed using the remaining radioactivity to evaluate the completeness of tumoral lesions extirpation. The final histologic examination showed the presence of 184 metastatic foci; among them, 98 (53.2%) were evident by both TxWBS and gamma probe evaluation, 76 (41.3%) were demonstrated only by gamma probe, and 10 (5.4%) were negative by both TxWBS and gamma probe evaluation. During follow-up (8 months to 4.9 years, mean 2.8 years), DxWBS, serum Tg levels off l-T4, and US showed absence of loco-regional disease in 25 patients (80.6%) while 6 patients had persistent disease. In conclusion, this protocol allowed us to identify neoplastic foci with high sensitivity and specificity, enabling us to remove loco-regional I-131 disease recurrences resistant to previous conventional I-131 therapies. Furthermore, the gamma probe allowed detection of some additional tumoral foci in sclerotic areas or located behind vascular structures that were not visualized at the pre-surgery TxWBS evaluation.

Somatostatin receptor PET imaging with Gallium-68 labeled peptides.

Imaging somatostatin receptor status with 68Ga labeled peptides has progressed rapidly over the last several years. It has generated great interest, and stimulated further research into the development of DOTA-derivative peptides. It has expanded our knowledge of receptor imaging and enhanced our appreciation of the difference between receptor-based and metabolic imaging, as well as more in-depth evaluation of tumor biology. The availability of the 68Ge/68Ga generator provides an attractive alternative to cyclotron-based positron-emitters, especially if kit-based radiopharmaceutical formulations based upon 68Ga are developed in the future.

PET in the diagnostic evaluation of adrenal tumors.

Early experience with positron emission tomography (PET) has provided exciting results in the evaluation of a broad spectrum of neoplasms, to include primary adrenal tumors, their metastases and metastatic disease to the adrenal glands. By virtue of the well-recognized propensity of malignancies to preferentially use glycolysis as an important energy source and the stimulation of mechanisms designed to absorb substrate glucose, the glucose analog, [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose, has become a successful radiopharmaceutical in the scintigraphic evaluation of adrenal tumors. Building upon prior experience gained with imaging the adrenal gland, other positron-labeled radiopharmaceuticals are finding their way into clinical use. The 11b-hydroxylase inhibitor, metomidate labeled with 11C has been used to scintigraphically identify tissues of adrenocortical origin, to accurately identify recurrent and metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma and may be useful in assessing the malignant potential of these tumors and predicting survival in afflicted patients. Adrenomedulla imaging with 11C- and 18F-labeled catecholamines and catecholamine analogs draws heavily from the experience gained from predecessor compounds, labeled with single photon emitting isotopes and, in some instances, single photon emission tomography, and has been shown to depict with high efficacy pheochromocytomas, neuroblastomas and other neoplasms of neural crest origin. Additional structural and functional information provided by computed tomography (CT), performed as part of hybrid PET/CT imaging directly complements PET and adds measurable diagnostic value in the evaluation of adrenal tumors.

PET in genitourinary tract cancers.

Genitourinary (GU) tract cancers comprise a variety of tumors, which includes some of the most common malignancies in men and women. As a result of the importance of GU neoplasms and the success of positron emission tomography (PET) in imaging and staging cancer, PET with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been used to depict and stage ovarian, cervical and testicular cancers. The early success of FDG PET in imaging GU tumors is tempered by the fact that some neoplasms of GU origin do not accumulate sufficient FDG for successful imaging. As a result, alternative agents, such as [11C]choline and [11C]acetate, have been used to image prostate cancer and may have utility in bladder cancer, while other PET agents are currently under active evaluation for this and other GU neoplasms. In this paper, we review the current literature and our experience in role of PET in imaging cancers of the GU tract.