Immuno-Imaging to Predict Treatment Response in Infection, Inflammation and Oncology
Alberto Signore1,2, Chiara Lauri3,4, Sveva Auletta5,6
1Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and of Translational Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy. alberto.signore@uniroma1.it.
Background:
Molecular nuclear medicine plays a pivotal role for diagnosis in a preclinical phase, in genetically susceptible patients, for radio-guided surgery, for disease relapse evaluation, and for therapy decision-making and follow-up. This is possible thanks to the development of new radiopharmaceuticals to target specific biomarkers of infection, inflammation and tumour immunology.
Methods:
In this review, we describe the use of specific radiopharmaceuticals for infectious and inflammatory diseases with the aim of fast and accurate diagnosis and treatment follow-up. Furthermore, we focus on specific oncological indications with an emphasis on tumour immunology and visualizing the tumour environment.
Results:
Molecular nuclear medicine imaging techniques get a foothold in the diagnosis of a variety of infectious and inflammatory diseases, such as bacterial and fungal infections, rheumatoid arthritis, and large vessel vasculitis, but also for treatment response in cancer immunotherapy.
Conclusion:
Several specific radiopharmaceuticals can be used to improve diagnosis and staging, but also for therapy decision-making and follow-up in infectious, inflammatory and oncological diseases where immune cells are involved. The identification of these cell subpopulations by nuclear medicine techniques would provide personalized medicine for these patients, avoiding side effects and improving therapeutic approaches.
Insights
Molecular nuclear medicine uses new radiopharmaceuticals for early diagnosis and treatment guidance in infections, inflammation, and cancer. These techniques improve patient outcomes by enabling personalized medicine approaches.
Area of Science:
- Medical imaging
- Nuclear medicine
- Radiopharmaceutical development
Background:
- Molecular nuclear medicine is crucial for early diagnosis, surgical guidance, and treatment monitoring.
- Advancements in radiopharmaceuticals enable targeting of specific biomarkers for infection, inflammation, and tumor immunology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review radiopharmaceutical applications in infectious and inflammatory diseases for diagnosis and follow-up.
- To highlight oncological uses, focusing on tumor immunology and microenvironment visualization.
Main Methods:
- Review of specific radiopharmaceuticals for infectious/inflammatory diseases.
- Focus on radiopharmaceuticals for oncological indications and tumor immunology.
Main Results:
- Molecular nuclear medicine effectively diagnoses infections, inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and vasculitis.
- It also aids in evaluating treatment response for cancer immunotherapy.
Conclusions:
- Specific radiopharmaceuticals enhance diagnosis, staging, and therapy decisions for immune-related diseases.
- Nuclear medicine techniques facilitate personalized medicine by identifying immune cell subpopulations, improving treatment and reducing side effects.
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