The next generation of positron emission tomography radiopharmaceuticals in oncology

Abstract

Although (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) is still the most widely used positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer, there are a few well-known limitations to its use. The last decade has seen the development of new PET probes for in vivo visualization of specific molecular targets, along with important technical advances in the production of positron-emitting radionuclides and their related labeling methods. As such, a broad range of new PET tracers are in preclinical development or have recently entered clinical trials. The topics covered in this review include labeling methods, biological targets, and the most recent preclinical or clinical data of some of the next generation of PET radiopharmaceuticals. This review, which is by no means exhaustive, has been separated into sections related to the PET radionuclide used for radiolabeling: fluorine-18, for the labeling of agents such as FACBC, FDHT, choline, and Galacto-RGD; carbon-11, for the labeling of choline; gallium-68, for the labeling of peptides such as DOTATOC and bombesin analogs; and the long-lived radionuclides iodine-124 and zirconium-89 for the labeling of monoclonal antibodies cG250, and J591 and trastuzumab, respectively.