Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) and neuroblastoma (NB) highly express norepinephrine transporter (NET) which is targeted by functional analogue of norepinephrine, 131I/123I-MIBG. However, low spatial resolution of 123/131I-MIBG and inaccurate attenuation correction of single photon emission tomography (SPECT/CT) will affect the image quality of MIBG SPECT and lead to poor diagnosis of small lesions. In addition, 123I-MIBG imaging is usually performed at 24 h after injection, while 131I-MIBG is performed at 48 h or even 72 h after injection. The procedure is complicated and takes a long time, which limits clinical application. 18F-labeled MFBG is an ideal tracer to show the expression of NET. Preliminary data show that 18F-MFBG imaging is safe and has favorable biodistribution and kinetics with good targeting of lesions. Patients can undergo PET 0.5 hours after injection without special preparation. Our study will assess the safety profile, image quality and evaluate the diagnostic performance and tumor burden of 18F-MFBG. Patients with histologically confirmed multifocal and/or metastatic neural crest tumor will be prospectively recruited in this study.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance and tumor burden of 18F-metafluorobenzylguanidine (18F-MFBG) positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with neuroendocrine tumors mainly in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) and neuroblastoma (NB).