Clinical haematology · UKMLA & AKT
Nuclear medicine and PET imaging
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test. Below are the key points to recognise nuclear medicine and pet imaging — the full SA Note notes add investigations, management, complications and 10 practice questions.
Key high-yield points
- PET scans measure glucose uptake - not cellular proliferation, apoptosis, vascular supply, or tyrosine kinase activity
- Tracer: 18F-FDG (radiolabelled glucose analogue) - cancer cells consume more glucose (Warburg effect), accumulate FDG, and appear as 'hot spots'
- FDG is phosphorylated intracellularly and becomes metabolically trapped - this is why signal persists in tumour deposits
Common exam distractors: PET does NOT measure cellular proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, or tyrosine kinase activity - it measures glucose uptake only.
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