VEGF in nuclear medicine: Clinical application in cancer and future perspectives (Review)

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Antiangiogenic drugs offer cancer treatment potential but lack efficacy in many patients.
• Predicting and monitoring patient response to antiangiogenic therapy is crucial for treatment success.
• Treatment failure may stem from low drug target expression or alternative signaling pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore molecular imaging as a diagnostic tool for evaluating antiangiogenic therapy response.
• To enable non-invasive measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF/VEGFR) levels in tumors.
• To aid in patient selection and monitoring for VEGF/VEGFR-targeted therapies.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical trials involving antiangiogenic drugs.
• Exploration of molecular imaging techniques for diagnostic applications.
• Focus on the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF/VEGFR) pathway in tumor angiogenesis.

Main Results:

• Molecular imaging presents a promising approach for non-invasive assessment of antiangiogenic therapy.
• Measuring local VEGF/VEGFR levels could identify patients likely to benefit from targeted therapies.
• Non-invasive monitoring can guide treatment decisions and track therapeutic response.

Conclusions:

• Molecular imaging can provide critical insights into VEGF/VEGFR pathway activity.
• This approach supports personalized medicine by enabling tailored antiangiogenic treatment strategies.
• Further development of molecular imaging is essential for optimizing cancer therapy.