Glioma of the left parietal lobe. Scanner with contrast enhancement. Credit: Mikhail Kalinin/CC BY-SA 3.0
Diffuse gliomas are malignant brain tumors and cannot be optimally examined by conventional imaging using MRI. Amino acid PET allows better visualization of the activity and spread of gliomas. An international research group (RANO group) led by MedUni Vienna and LMU Munich has now established the first international criteria for standardized imaging of gliomas using amino acid PET. This groundbreaking work was published in The Lancet Oncology.
Under the joint leadership of oncologist Matthias Preusser from the Medical University of Vienna and nuclear medicine specialist Nathalie Albert from LMU Munich, the RANO group developed new criteria for evaluating the therapeutic response of diffuse gliomas. Tatjana-Traub Weidinger (Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine) and Maximilian Mair (Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I) from MedUni Vienna are also involved in the work.
Diffuse gliomas are malignant brain tumors that arise from glial cells in the brain. This type of tumor is usually aggressive and difficult to treat. The RANO group has developed criteria for evaluating the success of treatment using positron emission tomography (PET). “These PET-based criteria, called PET RANO 1.0, open up new possibilities for the standardized assessment of diffuse gliomas,” explains Preusser.
Standardized criteria for interpreting PET images for the first time
PET is an imaging technique that uses radiolabeled substances to measure metabolic processes in the body. Amino acid PET is used in the diagnosis of diffuse gliomas. Its tracer acts on a protein basis (amino acids) and accumulates in brain tumors.
Albert explains: “PET imaging with radiolabeled amino acids has proven extremely valuable in neuro-oncology and allows reliable imaging of glioma activity and extent. Amino acid PET has been used for years, but has not yet been evaluated in a structured manner. Unlike MRI-based diagnostics, there were previously no criteria for interpreting these PET images.
“These new criteria will allow researchers and doctors to use PET in clinical trials and clinical routine,” adds Preusser. “They are based on expert consensus and create a basis for future studies and treatment comparison for improved therapies.”
The Response Evaluation in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) Working Group is an international, multidisciplinary consortium for the development of new standardized response criteria for brain tumor clinical trials. This is a group of experts from various disciplines who have been developing standard reference criteria for the assessment of various clinically relevant aspects for over 10 years.
More information:
Nathalie L Albert et al, PET-based response assessment criteria for diffuse gliomas (PET RANO 1.0): a report from the RANO group, The Lancet Oncology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00525-9
Provided by the Medical University of Vienna
Quote: Research team establishes framework to improve imaging diagnosis of brain tumors (January 3, 2024) retrieved January 3, 2024 from
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