The State-of-the-Art PET Tracers in Glioblastoma and High-grade Gliomas and Implications for Theranostics

Abstract

MR imaging is currently the main imaging modality used for the diagnosis and post therapeutic assessment of glioblastomas. Recently, several innovative PET radioactive tracers have been investigated for the evaluation of glioblastomas (GBM). These radiotracers target several biochemical and pathophysiological processes seen in tumors. These include glucose metabolism, DNA synthesis and cell proliferation, amino acid transport, cell membrane biosynthesis, specific membrane antigens such as prostatic specific membrane antigens, fibroblast activation protein inhibitor, translocator protein and hypoxia sensing agents, and antibodies targeting specific cell receptor antigen. This review aims to discuss the clinical value of these PET radiopharmaceuticals in the evaluation and treatment of GBMs.

Keywords: Fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI); Glioblastoma; PET; Prostatic-specific membrane antigens (PSMA); Theranostics.