[18F]5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine-PET for imaging of malignant tumors and for measuring tissue proliferation

The nucleoside 5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine is a pyrimidine analogue accumulating in proliferative cells. We prospectively evaluated biodistribution of the PET tracer [(18)F]5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine (FdUrd), its value for imaging malignant tumors, and its correlation to both [(18)F]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET findings and histological proliferation indices. In 11 previously untreated patients (5 lung carcinoma; 3 soft tissue sarcoma; 2 gastrointestinal carcinoma; 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL]), mean doses of 290 MBq FdUrd and 390 MBq FDG were administered intravenously on subsequent days. Static PET scans were initiated 50-70 min after administration and the mean standardized uptake values (…