Molecular Imaging in Oncology Using Positron Emission Tomography

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Hybrid imaging techniques like PET-CT/MRI enable simultaneous acquisition of anatomical and molecular data.
• Radiopharmaceuticals are crucial for characterizing metabolic processes and visualizing molecular targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of PET imaging in oncology.
• To highlight the utility of established and novel radiopharmaceuticals in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Main Methods:

• Selective literature search in PubMed.
• Inclusion of national and international guidelines.
• Analysis of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Main Results:

• Established radiopharmaceuticals like 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) visualize physiological processes for clinical decision-making.
• PET demonstrates high sensitivity (95%) and specificity (82%) in evaluating malignant pulmonary nodules for staging and treatment guidance.
• Emerging radiopharmaceuticals allow noninvasive phenotyping of tumors, including analysis of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and somatostatin receptor expression.

Conclusions:

• PET is integral to oncological diagnostic algorithms, improving diagnostic precision and enabling personalized treatment.
• A growing array of PET radiopharmaceuticals expands imaging capabilities for analyzing therapeutically relevant targets.
• Many radiopharmaceuticals support both noninvasive molecular analysis and targeted radionuclide therapy.