Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Jun;33(6):697-702.
doi: 10.1007/s00259-005-0038-6. Epub 2006 Apr 13.

How few cancer cells can be detected by positron emission tomography? A frequent question addressed by an in vitro study

Barbara M Fischer  1 , Minna W B Olsen, Carsten D Ley, Thomas L Klausen, Jann Mortensen, Liselotte Højgaard, Paul E G Kristjansen
Affiliations

How few cancer cells can be detected by positron emission tomography? A frequent question addressed by an in vitro study

Barbara M Fischer et al. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) has gained widespread use in cancer diagnosis and treatment, but how many malignant cells are required for a tumour to be detected by PET?

Methods: Three human cancer cell lines [glioblastoma and two subtypes of small cell lung cancer (SCLC)] in concentrations from 10(4) to 10(7) were seeded on six-well plates or plastic tubes and treated with [(18)F]fluorodeoxy-glucose (FDG) in vitro. FDG retention was measured in a PET/CT scanner and in a calibrated well counter. The clinical situation was simulated using a cylinder phantom with a background concentration of FDG.

Results: The theoretical detection limit was found to be around 10(5) malignant cells. In a cylinder phantom the detection limit was increased by a factor of 10. The FDG retention by the glioblastoma cell line was significantly higher than the activity of the SCLC cell line. FDG retention measured by PET and a gamma counter was closely correlated to the number of cells and a linear relationship was found.

Discussion: The detection limit of PET is in the magnitude of 10(5) to 10(6) malignant cells. The experimental set-up was robust and well suited as a platform for further investigations of factors influencing the detection limit of PET.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2000 Oct;126(10):549-59 - PubMed
    1. Ann Nucl Med. 2005 Feb;19(1):23-8 - PubMed
    1. Med Phys. 2004 Dec;31(12):3306-13 - PubMed
    1. Neoplasia. 2001 Jan-Feb;3(1):80-7 - PubMed
    1. Med Phys. 1996 Nov;23(11):1889-95 - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources