[¹⁸F]Tetrafluoroborate PET/CT for detecting differentiated thyroid cancer: phase-II study protocol

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Oncology
• Radiochemistry

Background:

• Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) management relies on accurate staging and treatment response assessment.
• Current imaging modalities have limitations in detecting lymph node metastases and predicting radioiodine therapy efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diagnostic performance of [¹⁸F]TFB PET/CT in identifying pre-operative lymph node metastases in DTC patients.
• To evaluate the potential of [¹⁸F]TFB PET/CT in predicting the response to [¹³¹I] therapy for recurrent or persistent DTC.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, multicenter phase-2 clinical trial involving two groups of DTC patients.
• Comparison of [¹⁸F]TFB PET/CT with standard imaging techniques and post-therapy scintigraphy.
• Evaluation of primary outcomes including sensitivity, specificity, SUV_max, and TBR_max, alongside secondary outcomes like [¹⁸F]TFB kinetics and NIS expression correlation.

Main Results:

• Data on sensitivity, specificity, SUV_max, and TBR_max for lymph node metastases detection are being collected.
• Analysis of [¹⁸F]TFB kinetics and correlation with NIS expression is underway.
• Safety profiles of [¹⁸F]TFB PET/CT are being monitored throughout the trial.

Conclusions:

• [¹⁸F]TFB PET/CT demonstrates promise for improving the detection of pre-operative lymph node metastases in DTC.
• [¹⁸F]TFB PET/CT may offer valuable insights into predicting [¹³¹I] therapy response in DTC patients.
• This imaging modality has the potential to enhance surgical planning and optimize therapeutic strategies for DTC.