Cerebral gangliogliomas: preoperative grading using FDG-PET and 201Tl-SPECT

To date there have been only scattered case reports comparing the nuclear medicine characteristics of gangliogliomas with their histologic grade. We sought to determine the relative usefulness of nuclear medicine scanning, CT, and MR imaging in predicting the histologic grade of these tumors.

Eleven cases of pathologically proved ganglioglioma were analyzed retrospectively. Preoperative positron emission tomography with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET), thallium chloride Tl 201 single-photon emission computed tomography (201Tl-SPECT), CT, and MR imaging studies were reviewed and compared with histologic tumor grade. FDG-PET scans were inspected visually for tumor metabolic activity relative to activity of normal gray and white matter. 201Tl-SPECT scans were analyzed for tumor activity using regions of interest and activity ratios. CT and MR studies were reviewed for the presence of conventional radiologic features of malignancy (ie, enhancement and edema).

Eleven patients had a total of 15 nuclear scans. Eight of nine gangliogliomas scanned with FDG-PET showed tumor hypometabolism, the ninth was normal. All nine were low-grade gangliogliomas. Increased 201Tl-SPECT activity was seen in two high-grade gangliogliomas. The third 201Tl-SPECT scan, of a low-grade ganglioglioma, was normal. CT and MR studies showed enhancement in four gangliogliomas, of which two were high grade and two low grade. Edema was seen only in conjunction with the two high-grade gangliogliomas.

FDG-PET and 201Tl-SPECT are 100% correlative in preoperative prediction of histologic grade of ganglioglioma. Tumors with decreased or normal PET or SPECT activity were low grade; tumors with increased SPECT activity were high grade. These results may be more reliable than CT and MR imaging findings in assessing tumor grade, and they may be of value for surgical planning and determining patient prognosis.