Noninvasive assessment and quantification of tumor vascularization using [18F]FDG-PET/CT and CE-CT in a tumor model with modifiable angiogenesis-an animal experimental prospective cohort study.

Background: This study investigated the noninvasive assessment of tumor vascularization with clinical F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography ([18F]FDG-PET/CT and CE-CT) in experimental human xenograft tumors with modifiable vascularization and compared results to histology. Tumor xenografts with modifiable vascularization were established in 71 athymic nude rats by subcutaneous transplantation of human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Four different groups were transplanted with two different tumor cell lines (either A549 or H1299) alone or tumors co-transplanted with rat glomerular endothelial (RGE) cells, the latter to increase vascularization.