It is one of the newest and the most promising method of cancer diagnostics. Thanks to this visualisation of metabolic activity in examined tissue is possible. This technique depends on registration of marked isotope uptake of short life period, tied with glucose molecules. Tissues of bigger metabolic activity uptake the glucose faster, where the isotope marker accumulates after some time, as a consequence. Cancer cells significantly faster divide, due to what have higher metabolism than healthy cells. Thanks to that the picture of neoplastic changes on the background of normal tissues can be obtained.

This method can be characterised by big sensitiveness (over 90%). It finds suspicious changes, unseen in CT. The specificity is bigger than in CT, especially in case of changes located in the lymph nodes.

It has wide range of use, especially in diagnostics of tumours of colon, lungs, breast, head, neck, central nervous system, melanomas and lymphomas.

The examination is remarkably useful in evaluation of character of changes, which were not visualised with other methods of imaging. It is perfect in evaluation of grade of advancement and malignancy of tumours, as well as in tracking the response on treatment and forecasting possibility of recurrences after the treatment implementation.

It is impossible, unfortunately, with its use to establish the anatomical range of neoplastic infiltration. Other, serious disadvantage of this method also exists- its high cost.

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