Factors affecting 18F FDOPA standardized uptake value in patients with primary brain tumors after treatment

Abstract Aim To investigate the factors affecting 18  F FDOPA uptake in patients with primary brain tumors (PBT) after treatment. Materials and methods 97 patients with PBT (6 were grade I, 40 were grade II, 29 were grade III and 22 were grade IV) underwent 18  F FDOPA positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) after treatment. Intervals from surgery, chemotherapy (CHT) and radiotherapy (RT) were 41.48 (± 42.27), 16.04 (± 29.08) and 28.62 (± 34.49) months respectively. Results 18  F FDOPA uptake in the site of recurrence was not related to the interval from surgery and CHT while a significant relationship has been found with the interval from RT and tumor grade. Conclusions The results of our study show that the interval from RT and the grade of PBT should be considered carefully when evaluating brain PET/CT scans since these factors could directly affect 18  F FDOPA uptake.