Radiation dose estimates for carbon-11-labelled PET tracers

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiological Physics
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Positron emission tomography (PET) utilizes carbon-11 tracers, which involve ionizing radiation exposure.
• Radiation dosimetry quantifies radiation dose and estimates associated health risks.
• This review focuses on carbon-11 tracer dosimetry within current PET research and regulatory frameworks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review radiation dosimetry for carbon-11 labelled PET tracers.
• To compare radiation burden across different tracers.
• To evaluate regulatory guidelines for PET studies.

Main Methods:

• A literature search identified 42 relevant articles, with 32 focusing on human PET data for carbon-11 dosimetry.
• Effective dose and maximum absorbed organ dose were compared between tracers.

Main Results:

• Most carbon-11 PET tracers exhibit an effective dose below 9 μSv/MBq (mean 5.9 μSv/MBq).
• Serial PET scans are feasible for most radiotracers in individual subjects.
• US and EU regulatory frameworks show substantial agreement on maximum allowable injected activity.

Conclusions:

• Human dosimetry studies are recommended for new PET tracers with anticipated continued use.
• Animal dosimetry models' predictive validity for human dosimetry is critically assessed.
• Empirical PET data inform risk estimation, but human-specific studies enhance accuracy.