Abstract: Glutamine has the highest concentration of amino acid in plasma, and the growth and proliferation of tumor cells depend on glutamine and its intermediate metabolites, such as glutamate, lactate, proline, and ammonia. The growth rate of tumor cells is closely related to the intracellular concentrations of glutamine and glutamate, which play an important role in tumor metabolism. The mechanism of glutamate and glutamine analog PET imaging agents uptaked by tumor cells primarily involves amino acid transport and protein synthesis. Glutamate and glutamine analog PET imaging agents have advantages in the differential diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, brain tumors, glioma, and many other tumors, which can compensate for some deficiencies of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET imaging. This paper primarily reviews the research progress of glutamate and glutamine analog PET imaging agents.