PET Imaging of Prostate Cancer: Other Tracers

摘要

There are significant limitations in the current options for imaging of patients with prostate carcinoma. It is recognized that there is a need for development of new imaging modalities and tracers for detection, characterization, staging, and re-staging of prostate cancer. Although fluo-rodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the mainstay of clinical imaging, many other isotope and tracer combinations can be imaged with PET. Several of these non-FDG tracers hold promise for evaluation of prostatic malignancies and other genitourinary tumors. The most often studied non-FDG compounds in prostate cancer are choline tracers (C-11 choline and F-18 fluorocholine) and acetate tracers (C-11 acetate and F-18 fluoroacetate). As discussed in other articles within this issue, these agents overcome some of the limitations of FDG in the imaging of prostate tumors.One of the strengths of nuclear imaging lies in the variety of radiotracers capable of being imaged. In the last 15 years, various compounds other than FDG, choline, and acetate have been studied in the hope of identifying the ideal imaging agent for prostate cancer. Although none has entered clinical practice, important lessons have been learned in the process, and the understanding of the biology and natural history of prostate malignancy has been expanded. In this article, the use of imaging agents other than FDG, choline, and acetate is discussed.