In a study from University Hospital Würzburg and elsewhere, scientists found a new molecular imaging radiotracer can precisely diagnose a variety of cancers, providing a roadmap to identify patients who may benefit from targeted therapies.
They found that 68Ga-PentixaFor demonstrated high image contrast in hematologic malignancies, small-cell lung cancer, and adrenocortical neoplasms.
The imaging agent 68Ga-PentixaFor is used to detect the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4).
Chemokine receptor expression is a predictor of poor prognosis in cancer patients, as it promotes the growth of malignant cells and inhibits anti-tumor response.
The team says 68Ga-PentixaFor PET is of particular interest because it offers improved lesion detection rates over other imaging modalities, such as MRI and CT.
In the study, researchers assessed 68Ga-PentixaFor uptake and image contrast to determine the most relevant clinical applications of CXCR4-directed imaging.
Two study sites performed 68Ga-PentixaFor PET on 690 patients with 35 different types of cancer. Images were interpreted and statistical analyses were performed.
Very high tracer uptake was found in patients with multiple myeloma, adrenocortical carcinoma, mantle cell lymphoma, adrenocortical adenoma, and small-cell lung cancer.
Comparable results were recorded for image contrast.
These results suggest clinical scenarios in which 68Ga-PentixaFor PET may prove beneficial for directing CXCR4-targeted therapies.
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The study was conducted by Andreas Buck et al and published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
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