(18)F-FPPRGD2 PET/CT: pilot phase evaluation of breast cancer patients

To present data from the first prospective pilot phase trial of breast cancer participants imaged with fluorine 18 ((18)F)-2-fluoropropionyl-labeled PEGylated dimeric arginine-glycine-aspartic acid ( RGD arginine-glycine-aspartic acid ) peptide (PEG3-E[c{ RGD arginine-glycine-aspartic acid yk}]2) ( FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) ), a radiopharmaceutical agent used in positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging.

The local institutional review board approved the HIPAA-compliant protocol. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient. Eight women (age range, 44-67 years; mean age, 54.3 years ± 8.8 [standard deviation]) with newly diagnosed or recurrent breast cancer were recruited between November 2010 and February 2011. (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) PET/computed tomographic (CT) and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( FDG fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose ) PET/CT examinations were performed within 3 weeks of each other. Dynamic (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) PET and two whole-body static (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) PET/CT scans were obtained. During this time, vital signs and electrocardiograms were recorded at regular intervals. Blood samples were obtained before the injection of (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) and at 24 hours and 1 week after injection to evaluate for toxicity. A nonparametric version of multivariate analysis of variance was used to assess the safety outcome measures simultaneously across time points. A paired two-sample t test was performed to compare the maximum standardized uptake values ( SUVmax maximum standardized uptake value ).

(18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) was well tolerated, without noticeable changes in vital signs, on electrocardiograms, or in laboratory values. A total of 30 lesions were evaluated at (18)F- FDG fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT and (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) PET/CT. The primary breast lesions had (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) uptake with SUVmax maximum standardized uptake value of 2.4-9.4 (mean, 5.6 ± 2.8) 60 minutes after injection, compared with (18)F- FDG fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake with SUVmax maximum standardized uptake value of 2.8-18.6 (mean, 10.4 ± 7.2). Metastatic lesions also showed (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) uptake, with SUVmax maximum standardized uptake value of 2.4-9.7 (mean, 5.0 ± 2.3) at 60 minutes, compared with (18)F- FDG fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake with SUVmax maximum standardized uptake value of 2.2-14.6 (mean, 6.6 ± 4.2).

Data from this pilot phase study suggest that (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) is a safe PET radiopharmaceutical agent. Evaluation of (18)F- FPPRGD2 2-fluoropropionyl labeled PEGylated dimeric RGD peptide (PEG3-E[c{RGDyk}]2) in participants with breast cancer demonstrated significant uptake in the primary lesion and in the metastases. Larger cohorts are required to confirm these preliminary findings.