18F‑alfatide positron emission tomography may predict anti‑angiogenic responses

As the crucial issue in the development of anti‑angiogenic drugs is how to predict which patients will and will not benefit prior to the initiation of therapy, angiogenic 18F‑alfatide positron emission computed tomography (PET) was assessed in the present study. Lung adenocarcinoma A549 (high angiogenesis) and prostate PC‑3 (low angiogenesis) cell xenografted tumor‑bearing mice underwent 18F‑alfatide PET at baseline and following treatment with either an anti‑angiogenic therapy or vehicle. The evaluation index for the inhibition of tumor growth in the individuals in the treated groups was represented by treatment/control (T/C) ratio (%). Anti‑angiogenic responses were denoted by the changes in 18F‑alfatide uptake in the same animal. The T/C ratio was lower in high‑uptake tumors than in low‑uptake tumors (P=0.001). A significant difference in the tumor volumes between the anti‑angiogenic therapy group and the control group occurred earlier in the A549 model than in the PC‑3 model. 18F‑alfatide uptake decreased more for A549 tumors than for PC‑3 tumors following anti‑angiogenic therapy. In each treatment group, the degree of tumor response to anti‑angiogenic therapy was associated well with the tumor uptake prior to treatment (P<0.05). These results indicated that 18F‑alfatide PET may be a useful molecular imaging tool for individual selection prior to anti‑angiogenic drug therapy.