Clinical haematology · UKMLA & AKT
Nuclear medicine and PET imaging
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test, covering how to recognise this condition. The full SA Note notes add investigations, management and complications, with practice questions on this topic.
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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