(18)F-DOPA PET SUV(max) may more accurately identify regions of higher-grade/higher-density disease in patients with astrocytomas and will have utility in guiding stereotactic biopsy selection. Using SUV-based thresholds to define high-grade portions of disease may be valuable in delineating radiotherapy boost volumes.

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the amino acid tracer 6-18F-fluoro-l-3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine (18F-DOPA) may provide better spatial and functional information in human gliomas than CT or MRI alone. The l-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is responsible for membrane transport of large neutral amino acids in normal cells. This study assessed the relationship between LAT1 expression and 18F-DOPA uptake in human astrocytomas. Endogenous LAT1 expression was measured in established glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines and primary GBM xenografts using Western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Uptake of 18F-DOPA was approximated in vitro using 3H-l-DOPA as an analog. Uptake of 3H-l-DOPA was assessed in cells expressing LAT1 shRNA or LAT1 siRNA and compared to non-targeted (NT) control shRNA or siRNA sequences, respectively. To demonstrate the clinical relevance of these findings, LAT1 immunofluorescence staining was compared with corresponding regions of 18F-DOPA PET uptake in patients with newly diagnosed astrocytomas. LAT1 mRNA and protein expression varies in GBM, and the extent of 3H-l-DOPA uptake was positively correlated with endogenous LAT1 expression. Stable shRNA-mediated LAT1 knockdown in T98 and GBM28 reduced 3H-l-DOPA uptake relative to NT shRNA by 57 (P < 0.0001) and 52 % (P < 0.001), respectively. Transient siRNA-mediated LAT1 knockdown in T98 reduced 3H-l-DOPA uptake relative to NT siRNA up to 68 % (P < 0.01). In clinical samples, LAT1 expression positively correlated with 18F-DOPA PET uptake (P = 0.04). Expression of LAT1 is strongly associated with 3H-l-DOPA uptake in vitro and 18F-DOPA uptake in patient biopsy samples. These results define LAT1 as a key determinant of 18F-DOPA accumulation in GBM.

Background Glioblastoma (GBM) represents an aggressive cancer type with a median survival of only 14 months. With fewer than 5% of patients surviving 5 years, comprehensive profiling of these rare patients could elucidate prognostic biomarkers that may confer better patient outcomes. We utilized multiple molecular approaches to characterize the largest patient cohort of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)–wildtype GBM long-term survivors (LTS) to date. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on 49 archived formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tumor specimens from patients diagnosed with GBM at the Mayo Clinic between December 1995 and September 2013. These patient samples were subdivided into 2 groups based on survival (12 LTS, 37 short-term survivors [STS]) and subsequently examined by mutation sequencing, copy number analysis, methylation profiling, and gene expression. Results Of the 49 patients analyzed in this study, LTS were younger at diagnosis (P = 0.016), more likely to be female (P = 0.048), and MGMT promoter methylated (UniD, P = 0.01). IDH-wildtype STS and LTS demonstrated classic GBM mutations and copy number changes. Pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes showed LTS enrichment for sphingomyelin metabolism, which has been linked to decreased GBM growth, invasion, and angiogenesis. STS were enriched for DNA repair and cell cycle control networks. Conclusions While our findings largely report remarkable similarity between these LTS and more typical STS, unique attributes were observed in regard to altered gene expression and pathway enrichment. These attributes may be valuable prognostic markers and are worth further examination. Importantly, this study also underscores the limitations of existing biomarkers and classification methods in predicting patient prognosis.

OS for LGG has improved over the past 50 years, despite similar rates of progression. In the modern cohort, more patients are receiving a diagnosis of oligodendroglioma and are undergoing extensive resections, both of which are associated with improvements in OS. Because of risk factor stratification by clinicians, the use of PORT has decreased and is primarily being used to treat high-risk tumors in modern patients.