Nuclear Medicine Applications in Diagnosis of Urological Tumors

Ad dress for Cor res pon den ce: Mine Araz MD, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ankara, Turkey Phone: +90 312 595 64 45 E-mail: minesoylu@yahoo.com ORCID-ID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6467-618X Re cei ved: 06.11.2018 Ac cep ted: 08.11.2018 Except for prostate carcinoma, there is limited data in the literature on the role of nuclear imaging methods in the management of urological cancers. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is generally the most widely used method in oncological imaging. However, the diagnostic power of this radiopharmaceutical in urological tumors is weakened partially due to its physiological urinary excretion. For this reason, some other 18F-labeled molecules, especially Ga-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen for prostate cancer and 18F-sodium fluoride for bone metastases, have recently gained importance. In addition, characterization of renal masses with Tc-99m methoxy isobutyl isonitrile (MIBI), a nonspecific tumor agent, and detection of bone metastases with whole-body Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) bone scintigraphy are still used. In this review, scintigraphic methods and PET/CT imaging used in diagnosis and follow-up of urological tumors will be discussed.