Recent Advances in Cancer Imaging with ⁶⁴CuCl₂ PET/CT

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Oncology
• Radiochemistry

Background:

• Copper is essential for cancer cell growth and tumor development.
• Radioactive copper-64 chloride (64CuCl2) is a radiotracer for PET imaging, leveraging copper transporter 1 (hCtr1) in cancer cells.
• Significant advancements have been made in utilizing 64CuCl2 for cancer imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress and potential of 64CuCl2 as a radiotracer for PET imaging in various human cancers.
• To explore the diagnostic potential of 64CuCl2 PET/CT for specific cancers like HCC and melanoma, and for detecting brain metastases.
• To discuss the therapeutic potential of 64CuCl2 and the theranostic application of the 64CuCl2/67CuCl2 pair.

Main Methods:

• Review of preclinical and clinical research on 64CuCl2 for cancer imaging.
• Analysis of radiation dosimetry studies in humans.
• Evaluation of the potential for theranostic applications with copper-67 chloride (67CuCl2).

Main Results:

• Human dosimetry studies confirm the radiation safety of 64CuCl2.
• Successful human PET imaging of prostate cancer, bladder cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, and non-small cell lung carcinoma using 64CuCl2.
• Preclinical data suggest potential for imaging hepatocellular carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and brain metastases.

Conclusions:

• 64CuCl2 is a safe and effective radiotracer for PET imaging of several human cancers.
• 64CuCl2 PET/CT holds promise for diagnosing additional cancers and detecting metastases.
• The dual particle emission of 64Cu allows for potential therapeutic applications, further enhanced by the theranostic pair 64CuCl2/67CuCl2.