Related Experiment Videos
Tumor angiogenesis targeting using imaging agents
W A Weber1, R Haubner, E Vabuliene
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universität, München, Germany. W.Weber@lrz.tu-muenchen.de
Abstract:
The inhibition of tumor induced angiogenesis is an emerging therapeutic strategy in clinical oncology aimed at halting cancer progression by suppressing tumor blood supply. As anti-angiogenic therapy is primarily cytostatic and not cytotoxic, the established criteria for assessing tumor response to chemo- and radiotherapy cannot be applied to anti-angiogenic therapy. Therefore, functional and molecular parameters for imaging of tumor angiogenesis are being intensively studied. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and scintigraphic techniques can assess changes in vascular permeability and tumor blood flow during anti-angiogenic therapy. Scintigraphic techniques, especially positron emission tomography (PET), may be used to monitor the consequences of anti-angiogenic therapy on tumor cell metabolism, proliferation and apoptosis. The high sensitivity of PET which allows measurements of tracer concentrations in the picomolar range is promising for the visualization of specific molecular targets prior to therapy thus identifying patients most likely benefit from a particular form of anti-angiogenic therapy.
Insights
Inhibiting tumor angiogenesis is a new cancer therapy. Advanced imaging, like positron emission tomography (PET), can monitor treatment effectiveness and identify patients who will benefit most from anti-angiogenic therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Medical Imaging
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Tumor angiogenesis inhibition is a novel therapeutic strategy in oncology.
- Anti-angiogenic therapies are cytostatic, requiring new response assessment criteria.
- Current assessment methods for chemotherapy and radiotherapy are unsuitable for anti-angiogenic treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore functional and molecular imaging parameters for assessing tumor angiogenesis during anti-angiogenic therapy.
- To evaluate the utility of various imaging techniques in monitoring treatment response.
- To highlight the potential of positron emission tomography (PET) in personalized anti-angiogenic therapy.
Main Methods:
- Review of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and scintigraphic techniques.
- Focus on positron emission tomography (PET) for monitoring tumor cell metabolism, proliferation, and apoptosis.
- Discussion of PET's sensitivity for visualizing molecular targets.
Main Results:
- Various imaging modalities can assess tumor vascular permeability and blood flow changes.
- PET offers sensitive monitoring of metabolic and proliferative changes post-therapy.
- PET's high sensitivity enables visualization of specific molecular targets.
Conclusions:
- Functional and molecular imaging are crucial for evaluating anti-angiogenic therapy.
- PET shows promise for visualizing molecular targets and predicting patient response.
- PET imaging can guide personalized anti-angiogenic treatment strategies.