Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine procedure based on the measurement of positron emission from radiolabelled tracer molecules. These radiotracers allow biologic processes to be measured and whole body images to be obtained which demonstrates sites of radiotracer accumulation. The most common radiotracer in use today is 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) which is a radiolabelled sugar (glucose) molecule. Imaging with 18F-FDG PET is used to determine sites of abnormal glucose metabolism and can be used to characterize and localize many types of tumours.

Cancer treatment and outcome depend largely on the accurate diagnosis and staging of disease. There is extensive data in the literature indicating the importance of FDG-PET imaging in accurately characterizing disease, as well as determining stage and sites of recurrent disease in many cancer types. For these indications, functional imaging with PET provides unique information which is not available from standard medical imaging modalities such as ultrasound, X-ray, computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The objectives of this study are to document the safety and efficacy of 18F-FDG produced by the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) at its Tri-University Meson Facility (TRIUMF) production facility and to evaluate FDG-PET as a diagnostic and decision making tool in the management of oncology patients in British Columbia. With a population base of over 4 million people, standardized cancer treatment protocols, and evidence based guidelines for FDG-PET imaging, the BCCA is positioned to make an important contribution to defining the role of PET in the Canadian health care system.