Dear Molecular Imaging Insider,
Is the writing on the wall for FDG? Perhaps in some instances, such as diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to researchers in Bangalore, India.
In this edition's Insider Exclusive, we bring you a prospective trial they presented at RSNA 2021 in Chicago that shows that PET/CT with a gallium-68 radiotracer was significantly more accurate than FDG in detecting primary tumors in 850 patients with HCC.
Work on both new and approved PET tracers was one of the highlights in molecular imaging research offered at the RSNA meeting. Check out our coverage, which included the following:
- Early results from a phase I/II trial indicated that a tracer labeled with zirconium-89 is promising for diagnosing patients with newly diagnosed small cell lung cancer.
- F-18 DCFPyL significantly improved treatment decisions in patients with prostate cancer compared with multiparametric MRI in a recent study.
- FDG-PET scans in COVID-19 patients up to nine months after they were infected suggests initial brain hypometabolism associated with neurological impairment returns to normal at five months.
- F-18 fluoroestradiol PET/CT imaging could improve patient management in women with invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer.
- A new carbon-11-based PET radiotracer can help diagnose infection in patients with prosthetic joints.
Yet it wasn't all about radiotracers at the RSNA meeting. In other exciting news, a preclinical study showed that N-acetylcysteine may protect cells from DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation.
In addition, a PET/MRI study in ankylosing spondylitis patients proved that tumor necrosis factor blockers are effective treatments because they reduce the cellular bone activity driving the disease.
Finally, in regulatory news, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has officially scrubbed national noncoverage language from the books for PET imaging using radiopharmaceuticals. It is hoped that the move will lift limits on the use of PET tracers for nononcologic indications.
Be sure to check back regularly for more news in your Molecular Imaging Community!
