Dynamic changes in 18 F-borono-L-phenylalanine uptake in unresectable, advanced, or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and malignant melanoma during boron neutron capture therapy patient selection.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated dynamic changes in 18 F-borono-L-phenylalanine (18 F-BPA) uptake in unresectable, advanced, or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCC) and malignant melanoma (MM) during boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) patient selection.

METHODS: Dynamic changes in the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), tumor-to-normal tissue ratio (TNR), and tumor-to-blood pool ratio (TBR) for 18 F-BPA were evaluated in 20 patients with SCC and 8 patients with MM.

RESULTS: SUVmax in SCC tumors decreased significantly from 30 to 120 min. There was a non-statistically significant decrease in SUVmax for SCC tumors from 30 to 60 min and from 60 to 120 min. Patients with MM had nonsignificant SUVmax changes in 18 F-BPA uptake on delayed imaging. Nonsignificant 18 F-BPA TNR and TBR changes were seen in patients with SCC and MM.

CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic changes in SUVmax for 18 F-BPA uptake had a washout pattern in SCC and a persistent pattern in MM. Dynamic 18 F-BPA -PET studies should be performed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of 18 F-BPA in humans and select appropriate candidates who may benefit from BNCT.