PET Scans, Sugar and Leukemia

After noting some of the differences between the biochemistry of leukemia versus solid tumors, I had questions regarding whether leukemia is really a sugar feeder like solid tumors are. This article on PET scans confirms that it is. Check out the image on the left of the article. It's a PET scan of a leukemic patient.

PET scans operate by adding a radionuclide to a glucose analogue sugar and then imaging the areas where consumption/decomposition occurs, causing photon emission -- the anaerobic cancers. Since this approach can image leukemic infiltration of bone marrow, it demonstrates that leukemia is also a sugar feeder.

http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/Features/Health/2009/03/09/Does_chemotherapy_work/

Note:  studies of HCL indicate that it does not appear prominently in PET scans; hence, less dependent on sugar as its fuel.