Imaging of Prostate Cancer Using Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor PET.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) overexpression is an important biomarker for aggressiveness in cancer including prostate cancer (PC) and provides independent clinical information in addition to prostate-specific antigen and Gleason score. This article focuses on uPAR PET as a new diagnostic and prognostic imaging biomarker in PC. Many preclinical uPAR-targeted PET imaging studies using AE105 in cancer models have been undertaken with promising results. A major breakthrough was obtained with the recent human translation of uPAR PET in using Cu- and Ga-labelled versions of AE105, respectively. Clinical results from patients with PC included in these studies are encouraging and support continuation with large-scale clinical trials.