Non-FDG hypoxia tracers.

Hypoxia plays a critical role in tumor biology, influencing cancer progression, treatment resistance, and patient prognosis. While 18-Fluorine fluoredeoxyglucose ([18F]F-FDG) PET imaging has been the standard for metabolic assessment, its limitations in accurately depicting hypoxic tumor regions necessitate the exploration of non-FDG hypoxia tracers. This review aims to evaluate emerging non-FDG radiotracers, such as nitroimidazole derivatives, copper-based agents, gallium-based agents and other innovative compounds, highlighting their mechanisms of action, biodistribution, and clinical applications.

[F]F-Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Radiotracers for Imaging PARP Expression and Their Potential Clinical Applications in Oncology.

Including poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in managing patients with inoperable tumors has significantly improved outcomes. The PARP inhibitors hamper single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair by trapping poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) at sites of DNA damage, forming a non-functional "PARP enzyme-inhibitor complex" leading to cell cytotoxicity. The effect is more pronounced in the presence of PARP upregulation and homologous recombination (HR) deficiencies such as ().

Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen: Alpha-labeled Radiopharmaceuticals.

Novel prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands labeled with α-emitting radionuclides are sparking a growing interest in prostate cancer treatment. These targeted alpha therapies (TATs) have attractive physical properties that deem them effective in progressive metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Among the PSMA TAT radiopharmaceuticals, [225Ac]Ac-PSMA has been used extensively on a compassionate basis and is currently undergoing phase I trials.

Advances in Radioligand Theranostics in Oncology.

Theranostics with radioligands (radiotheranostics) has played a pivotal role in oncology. Radiotheranostics explores the molecular targets expressed on tumor cells to target them for imaging and therapy. In this way, radiotheranostics entails non-invasive demonstration of the in vivo expression of a molecular target of interest through imaging followed by the administration of therapeutic radioligand targeting the tumor-expressed molecular target.

Imaging Molecular Targets and Metabolic Pathways in Breast Cancer for Improved Clinical Management: Current Practice and Future Perspectives.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Timely decision-making that enables implementation of the most appropriate therapy or therapies is essential for achieving the best clinical outcomes in breast cancer. While clinicopathologic characteristics and immunohistochemistry have traditionally been used in decision-making, these clinical and laboratory parameters may be difficult to ascertain or be equivocal due to tumor heterogeneity.

Actinium-225-PSMA radioligand therapy of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (WARMTH Act): a multicentre, retrospective study.

Background: Actinium-225 (Ac) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligand therapy (RLT) is a novel therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). We aimed to report the safety and antitumour activity of Ac-PSMA RLT of mCRPC in a large cohort of patients treated at multiple centres across the world.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients treated at seven centres in Australia, India, Germany, and South Africa.

Principal Component Analysis Applied to Radiomics Data: Added Value for Separating Benign from Malignant Solitary Pulmonary Nodules.

Here, we report on the added value of principal component analysis applied to a dataset of texture features derived from 39 solitary pulmonary lung nodule (SPN) lesions for the purpose of differentiating benign from malignant lesions, as compared to the use of SUVmax alone. Texture features were derived using the LIFEx software. The eight best-performing first-, second-, and higher-order features for separating benign from malignant nodules, in addition to SUVmax (MaximumGreyLevelSUVbwIBSI184IY), were included for PCA.

PET/CT and SPECT/CT for Infection in Joints and Bones: An Overview and Future Directions.

Infections of the bones and joints, if misdiagnosed, may result in serious morbidity and even mortality. A prompt diagnosis followed by appropriate management may reduce the socioeconomic impact of bone and joint infections. Morphologic imaging such as ultrasound and plain radiographs form the first line investigations, however, in early infections findings may be negative or nonspecific.

Correlation between [Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET Imaging and HIF-1α Immunohistochemical Analysis in Cervical Cancer: Proof-of-Concept.

Hypoxia leads to changes in tumor microenvironment (upregulated CAFs) with resultant aggressiveness. A key factor in the physiological response to hypoxia is hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α). [Ga]Ga-FAPI PET imaging has been demonstrated in various cancer types.

Prognostic Value of PSMA PET/CT in Prostate Cancer.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in the majority of prostate cancer (PCa). PSMA has an enzymatic function that makes metabolic substrates such as folate available for utilization by PCa cells. Intracellular folate availability drives aggressive tumor phenotype.

Ac-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy of de novo metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate carcinoma (mHSPC): preliminary clinical findings.

Purpose: Ac-PSMA-617 has demonstrated good anti-tumor effect as a treatment option for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. No study has previously assessed treatment outcome and survival following Ac-PSMA-617 treatment of de novo metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate carcinoma (mHSPC) patients. Based on the potential side effects that are known and explained to the patients by the oncologist, some of the patients refused the standard treatment and are seeking alternative therapies.

The SARS-COV-2 Seroprevalence among Oncology Patients.

Patients with cancer are presumed to be vulnerable to an increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and severe clinical outcomes due to the immunocompromised state mediated by their underlying malignancies and therapy. The aim of this study was to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, following second to fourth waves in solid tumour patients attending the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We used the single-prick COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassettes to detect SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies in 760 patients with solid tumours who were asymptomatic and who had never tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

[Ga]Ga-NODAGAZOL uptake in atherosclerotic plaques correlates with the cardiovascular risk profile of patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the correlation of [Ga]Ga-NODAGA uptake in atherosclerotic plaques and the cardiovascular risk profile of patients imaged with positron emission tomography (PET), wherein quantification of uptake was determined by atherosclerotic plaque maximum target-to-background ratio (TBRmax). We also correlated uptake with a history of cardiovascular events.

Methods: We included patients who underwent PET/CT imaging post-injection of [Ga] Ga-NODAGA.

Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT Initial Staging in Black and White South African Males with ISUP Grade Group 1 and 2 Prostate Adenocarcinoma.

Prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) is a leading cause of mortality. Black males with high-risk PCa have a poorer prognosis compared to white males. Patients with International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Grade Group (GG) 1 and 2 PCa have little potential for metastases post radical prostatectomy.

The Diagnostic Performance of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT in Prostate Cancer Patients with Early Recurrence after Definitive Therapy with a PSA <10 ng/ml.

Aim: The prostate bed is one of the common sites of early recurrence of prostate cancer. The currently used PSMA ligands (Ga-PSMA-11 and Tc-PSMA) undergo early urinary clearance resulting in interfering physiological activity within and surrounding the prostate. This can result in sites of cancer recurrence being obscured.

Hematologic toxicity profile and efficacy of [Ac]Ac-PSMA-617 α-radioligand therapy of patients with extensive skeletal metastases of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Purpose: Actinium-225-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen ([Ac]Ac-PSMA-617) is safe and effective in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). No study has specifically assessed its safety in patients with extensive skeletal metastases of mCRPC. We aimed to investigate the hematologic toxicity and efficacy of [Ac]Ac-PSMA-617 therapy in patients with extensive skeletal metastases of mCRPC.

The Use of F-FDG PET/CT Metabolic Parameters in Predicting Overall Survival in Patients Undergoing Restaging for Malignant Melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is one of the more aggressive cancers in the skin, with an increasing incidence every year. Melanoma has a better prognosis if diagnosed early and survival tends to decrease once the disease has metastasized. Positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (F-FDG) has been used extensively over the past two decades in staging and assessing responses to therapy in patients with melanoma.

Correlation Between CT Features of Active Tuberculosis and Residual Metabolic Activity on End-of-Treatment FDG PET/CT in Patients Treated for Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Patients who complete a standard course of anti-tuberculous treatment (ATT) for pulmonary tuberculosis and are declared cured according to the current standard of care commonly have residual metabolic activity (RMA) in their lungs on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PER/CT) imaging. RMA seen in this setting has been shown to be associated with relapse of tuberculosis. The routine clinical use of FDG PET/CT imaging for treatment response assessment in tuberculosis is hindered by cost and availability.

Cardiovascular disturbances in COVID-19: an updated review of the pathophysiology and clinical evidence of cardiovascular damage induced by SARS-CoV-2.

Severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-Co-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a disease with highly variable phenotypes, being asymptomatic in most patients. In symptomatic patients, disease manifestation is variable, ranging from mild disease to severe and critical illness requiring treatment in the intensive care unit.

A Prospective Investigation of Tumor Hypoxia Imaging with Ga-Nitroimidazole PET/CT in Patients with Carcinoma of the Cervix Uteri and Comparison with F-FDG PET/CT: Correlation with Immunohistochemistry.

Hypoxia in cervical cancer has been associated with a poor prognosis. Over the years Ga labelled nitroimidazoles have been studied and have shown improved kinetics. We present our initial experience of hypoxia Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging in cervical cancer with Ga-Nitroimidazole derivative and the correlation with F-FDG PET/CT and immunohistochemistry.

mCRPC Patients Receiving Ac-PSMA-617 Therapy in the Post-Androgen Deprivation Therapy Setting: Response to Treatment and Survival Analysis.

Ac-PSMA-617, targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is overexpressed on prostate cancer cells, has shown a remarkable therapeutic efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate carcinoma (mCRPC). Here, we report on treatment outcome and survival using this novel treatment modality in a series of 53 patients with mCRPC directly after their androgen deprivation treatment (ADT). Ac-PSMA-617 was administered to 53 such patients.

Radionuclide imaging of hypoxia: Where are we now? Special attention to cancer of the cervix uteri.

Cancer of the cervix is the fourth commonest malignancy in women worldwide and it also ranks fourth as the cause of cancer related mortality in women. Hypoxia is a common characteristic of solid tumours and cervical cancer is no exception. Hypoxia is associated with increased aggressiveness, risk of invasion and metastasis.