Siemens Healthcare announced that it has recently completed a phase II multicenter clinical trial for its HX4 PET imaging biomarker.
HX4 is designed to detect hypoxia -- a reduction in tissue oxygen levels -- in solid tumors. Solid tumor hypoxia develops when the vascular system is unable to supply the growing tumor mass with adequate oxygen, leaving portions of the tumor with lower oxygen levels than healthy tissues.
Hypoxic tumors are more resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which can result in overall poor outcomes for patients.
The trial evaluated the reproducibility of HX4's uptake in tumors by conducting PET/CT scans of the same patient on sequential days in a test-retest protocol, Siemens said. The trial enrolled 40 patients with head and neck, lung, liver, rectal, or cervical cancers who were scheduled to receive chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of the two.
By developing an imaging biomarker that detects tumor hypoxia, Siemens hopes to provide oncologists with more specific information regarding tumor cells.
