Figure 2
Monitoring PCT progression in individual C.IL6Myc mice using integrated FDG-PET and CT imaging. (a) FDG-PET imaging schedule of C.IL6Myc mice undergoing PCT development. The study included 11 Tg mice (black squares) and 4 normal C mice used as controls (open squares). The numbers of mice (displayed vertically) and ages of mice at time of PET scanning (displayed horizontally) are indicated. (b) Serial coronal PET images of a representative IL6Myc mouse (top) and a normal control (bottom) acquired between 38 and 143 days of age. All images were normalized to the same maximal standard uptake value (SUVmax=3) to facilitate comparison of PET lesions. The steady increase in FDG uptake in peripheral and abdominal lymph nodes of the transgenic mouse (top panels) indicates the steady progression of PCT over time. High normal FDG uptake (not associated with tumor development) resulting in high PET signal strength is seen in brain and heart (tissues with physiologically high levels of glucose utilization), the FDG excretion pathway (urinary bladder and, to a lesser extent, kidneys) and the FDG injection site (lateral tail vein)—all readily detected in the normal mouse shown at the bottom. (c) Three-dimensional renderings of fused PET/CT images of the IL6Myc mouse from (a). Integrated images of this sort facilitate the determination of tumor dissemination patterns and the precise anatomic localization of bone cavities containing PCT-laden hematopoietic marrow.
