Applications of positron emission tomography in the development of molecular targeted cancer therapeutics

Abstract

For molecular targeted cancer therapies to fulfill their promise in cancer treatment, innovative approaches are required to overcome significant obstacles that exist in the clinical development of these agents. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technology that allows rapid, repeated, noninvasive, in vivo assessment and quantification of many biological processes and in some cases molecular pathways targeted by these therapies. It is highly sensitive, with the capacity to detect subnanomolar concentrations of radiotracer and provides superior image resolution to conventional nuclear medicine imaging with gamma cameras. Novel PET radiotracers have been developed that a..