Positron emission tomography (PET) and amino acid tracers provide a biological characterization of brain tumors (especially gliomas) beyond conventional structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

and can be used for initial diagnosis of brain tumors

mapping of tumor margins

planning of surgery and radiation therapy

evaluation of residual tumors

and evaluation of post-treatment response. Integrated PET/MRI allows simultaneous acquisition of PET and multiple parameters including functionalMRI sequences in a single examination

reducing scan time. While the consistency of the spatial distribution of amino acid PET with functional MRI ［diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) or perfusion weighted imaging (PWI)］ is controversial. There is no doubt that the multimodal examination model provides important complementary information for the functional assessment of brain gliomas. This review aimed to provide a concise overview of the various amino acid tracers in brain tumors

as well as a practical understanding of the clinical applications of amino acid PET/MRI in the treatment of glioma

in addition to an overview of the progress in the transformation of novel radioactive tracers

the prospects for future applications in amino acid PET/MRI radiomics and machine learning and cost-effectiveness.