Effective radiotherapy of primary tumors and metastasis with 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose in C57BL/6 mice
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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Utilizing 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging and Quantitative Histology to Measure Dynamic Changes in the Glucose Metabolism in Mouse Models of Lung Cancer
Published on: July 21, 2018
Victoria Caridad1, Miriam Arsenak, María Jesús Abad
1Laboratorio de Patología Celular y Molecular, Centro de Medicina Experimental, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela.
Introduction:
The radiochemical 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG), a positron emitter, is taken up preferentially by malignant tumors with high metabolic rates. This concentration of 18F-FDG in the tumor permits diagnosis and staging by positron emission tomography but also may represent a means of targeting radiotherapy. In this study, we determined the effect of a higher dose of 18F-FDG on tumor growth in a mouse model.
Materials And Methods:
The effect of 18F-FDG on the growth and viability of 3 tumor cell lines was determined in vitro. Primary tumor growth and metastasis of B16/BL6 melanoma cells were determined in C57BL/6 mice injected with 5 mCi doses of 18F-FDG (2/3 doses).
Results:
18F-FDG was cytostatic for all 3 cell lines at the lowest dose tested. It significantly reduced the growth of primary tumors, by 89% at day 19 postinoculation, and also almost totally inhibited the appearance of lung metastases after intravenous inoculation of the same cells.
Conclusions:
18F-FDG proved to be an effective radiotherapeutic agent in this model. The possible problems associated with the accumulation of this radiochemical at other sites besides the tumor must be addressed.
