Small animal PET in oncology: The road from bench to bedside
Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals. 2009-04-01; 24(2): 277-285
DOI: 10.1089/cbr.2008.0554
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Ambrosini V(1), Quarta C, Nanni C, Pettinato C, Franchi R, Grassetto G, Al-Nahhas A, Fanti S, Rubello D.
Author information:
(1)Department of Nuclear Medicine, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Azienda
Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is routinely performed in patients with cancer
for disease staging, assessment of relapse, and evaluation of therapy response.
In addition to its well-established value in human malignant diseases, the use of
special small animal PET (SA-PET) scanners have allowed for accurate assessment
of small animals bearing human tumors. This application of PET provides
whole-body, noninvasive, functional data of tumor lesions and can be used to
assess abnormalities in the metabolic pathways of cancer, such as uncontrolled
proliferation, increased apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Several positron-emitting
tracers labeled with 18-fluorine and 11-carbon are currently available for PET
studies to image abnormal biologic pathways of tumors. Moreover, SA-PET can be
used to evaluate tumor-cell-receptor expression, a sign of tumor cells
differentiation that is relevant for planning targeted therapies. Another
advantage of SA-PET is the quantitation capability: Semiquantitation of the tumor
activity can be performed at each scan and compared in the same animal over time
to monitor tumor growth or to assess the response to new therapies. This review
focuses on the applications of SA-PET for the visualization of the
pathophysiologic pathways of tumor cells.