Nectin-4-Targeted Radiotheranostics for Personalized Cancer Therapy: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Molecular Imaging

Background:

• Molecularly targeted therapies are crucial in oncology.
• Nectin cell adhesion molecule 4 (nectin-4) is overexpressed in malignancies, linked to tumor progression.
• Nectin-4 is a key target for antibody-drug conjugates in urothelial carcinoma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent developments in nectin-4-directed molecular theranostics.
• To focus on the design, preclinical validation, and clinical translation of novel radiotracers.
• To highlight nectin-4 as a biomarker for imaging and therapy.

Main Methods:

• Literature analysis of nectin-4-directed molecular theranostics.
• Focus on antibody- and peptide-based radiotracer design and validation.
• Review of preclinical and clinical data for diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic monitoring.

Main Results:

• Multiple nectin-4-targeted radiotracers show high specificity and affinity for tumors (urothelial carcinoma, triple-negative breast cancer).
• Radiotracers demonstrate comparable diagnostic accuracy to standard methods like [18F]FDG-PET.
• Enhanced detection of metastatic lesions and effective monitoring of therapeutic response and resistance were observed.

Conclusions:

• Nectin-4 is a valuable target for molecular imaging and cancer therapy.
• Nectin-4-targeted radiotracers offer a promising theranostic approach.
• These agents facilitate noninvasive tumor characterization and treatment response assessment.