Radiopharmaceuticals in positron emission tomography: present situation and future perspectives

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging technique that has grown greatly in recent years. PET is considered a fundamental tool in oncology, and it also has indications in other fields such as neurology and cardiology. Although ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) is the radiopharmaceutical most widely used in PET, the availability of new radiotracers has been a key element in the expansion of the use of PET. These new radiopharmaceuticals have made it possible to study different biological targets that are essential for obtaining greater knowledge and better characterization of different diseases and have thus contributed to the research and development of different therapeutic agents. This article provides a description of different PET radiopharmaceutical, structured according to their areas of application. Some of these radiotracers are already commercially available, whereas others are still under research or pending approval by regulatory bodies.