18F Fluorodeoxyglucose

ChEBI: 2-deoxy-2-((18)F)fluoro-aldehydo-D-glucose is a 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-aldehydo-D-glucose and a 2-deoxy-2-((18)F)fluoro-D-glucose.

¹⁸F is a positron-emitting radioisotope and is used in radiopharmaceutical imaging such as PET scanning. Two compounds, namely fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) and derivatives of 18F choline, are under intense clinical investigation and/or use.
¹⁸F-FDG is a glucose derivative that contains a radiolabel (¹⁸F) at the 2′ position replacing the hydroxyl group.¹⁸F-FDG is administered intravenously and is used as an assessment of problems with glucose metabolism, especially in the brain, often associated with epilepsy and in cancer. Areas where an increased absorption of ¹⁸F-FDG are visible correlate to areas where an increased glucose metabolism is present. ¹⁸F-FDG is distributed around the body similar to glucose and is cleared renally. There are no known contraindications known to ¹⁸F-FDG.
¹⁸F-FDG is the main radioimaging agent used in PET scanning. Examples include studies of heart, where it is used to differentiate between dead and live tissue in order to assess the myocardium. In neurology, it can be used to diagnose dementia, seizure disorders or tumours of the brain.¹⁸F-FDG is generally used to assess the extent of the tumour in a cancer patient. Cancerous tissue is characterised by increased cell proliferation, which requires energy, and therefore an increased amount of glucose. This leads to an accumulation of ¹⁸F-FDG in malignant tumours and allows judging the degree of metastasis formed. This information is important for any surgical procedure and also for the initial assessment of the cancer stage.