carbon-11-methionine

Carbon-11-methionine (also known as methionine C 11) is a radiolabeled amino acid analog used as a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent. It is primarily utilized in neuro-oncology for the detection, characterization, and treatment planning of brain tumors, such as gliomas and glioblastomas, as well as for differentiating tumor recurrence from radiation necrosis. Because tumor cells exhibit upregulated amino acid transport and protein synthesis to support rapid proliferation, carbon-11-methionine is actively taken up by tumor cells via L-type amino acid transporters (primarily LAT1/SLC7A5). Unlike fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), carbon-11-methionine has very low physiological uptake in the normal brain parenchyma, providing high tumor-to-background contrast. It is also investigated for imaging other malignancies, including lymphoma, prostate cancer, and pituitary adenomas.

Other names

11C-MET11C-methionine[11C]MET[11C]methionineL-[methyl-11C]methionineL-methionine-methyl-11CL-methionine-methyl11CL-methionine-methyl 11Cmethionine (11C)methionine C 11methionine C-11