Advantages and limitations of amino acid PET for tracking therapy response in glioma patients

Introduction: Today, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the standard method for monitoring patients with brain tumors. The ability of conventional MRI in differentiating neoplastic tissue from nonspecific, treatment-related changes after surgery, radio-, chemo- or immunotherapy, however, remains limited. Therefore, advanced MRI sequences and positron emission tomography (PET) are increasingly being considered to improve decision-making. Areas covered: PET using radiolabeled amino acids has evolved into an important diagnostic tool to overcome some of the shortcomings of conventional MRI. In view of the rapidly developing novel treatment strategies, a reliable statement on the response to therapy is becoming increasingly important. This article gives an overview of the current results of PET with radiolabelled amino acids in therapy monitoring of standard therapy as well as various innovative approaches in the treatment of patients with cerebral gliomas. Expert opinion: Amino acid PET has proven to be helpful in therapy monitoring of gliomas, the costs are low in relation to the costs of therapy and the clinical benefit, and a widespread clinical use is highly desirable.