Molecular imaging to support cancer immunotherapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Radiology

Background:

• Immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed cancer treatment, improving survival in various tumor types.
• Predictive biomarkers are crucial as not all patients respond to immunotherapy.
• Current biomarkers lack the ability to account for tumor heterogeneity within patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in molecular imaging for immune checkpoint molecules (PD-L1, PD-1, CTLA-4, LAG-3).
• To discuss molecular imaging approaches for immune cell subsets.
• To highlight the role of FDG-PET in evaluating cancer immunotherapy response.

Main Methods:

• Summary of recent developments in molecular imaging tracers for immune checkpoint molecules.
• Discussion of molecular imaging techniques for immune cell subsets.
• Review of clinical and preclinical molecular imaging studies.

Main Results:

• Molecular imaging enables whole-body visualization of tumor and immune cell characteristics.
• New tracers allow for imaging of immune checkpoint molecules like PD-L1, PD-1, CTLA-4, and LAG-3.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) with novel tracers shows potential for guiding treatment decisions.

Conclusions:

• Molecular imaging offers a promising avenue for developing predictive biomarkers in cancer immunotherapy.
• Whole-body imaging can capture tumor heterogeneity, potentially improving patient selection.
• Further clinical translation of these molecular imaging techniques is anticipated.