Dear Molecular Imaging Insider,
F-18 FDG PET/CT is the preferred method for imaging patients with esophageal cancers, with the F-18 FDG radiotracer providing excellent visualization of abnormal glucose activity in the tumors. Now, a novel type of radiotracer has emerged that could add valuable insight in these cases -- namely, by visualizing angiogenesis, the formation of tumor blood supplies, says a research group from Switzerland.
Researchers at Lausanne University Hospital recently evaluated one such tracer in a small group of patients with esophageal cancers. The early results are from an ongoing trial pitting the tracer against F-18 FDG. Find out more in a report posted today.
In other news, PET/MRI is becoming an increasingly viable and practical alternative to PET/CT in the routine management of lymphoma patients, according to a team of Australian investigators.
Related imaging findings in COVID-19 patients continue to surface. A group in Zagazig, Egypt, has reported that more than half of patients on rituximab treatment showed F-18 FDG tracer uptake in lymph nodes following a second shot of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, German clinicians detected a rare tumor in a COVID-19 patient in a trial investigating FAPI-PET imaging in interstitial lung disease.
Speaking of FAPI-PET, a German group confirmed its promise in identifying cancer compared with F-18 FDG-PET in patients with sarcoma, pancreatic carcinoma, and primary brain tumors.
In Alzheimer's disease research, Tau PET imaging consistently provides the best prediction of change in cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, a Swedish group has found.
Announcements continue that countries are taking steps to secure their own supplies of medical isotopes, with plans for a nuclear research reactor set in motion in Wales and Russia breaking ground on new facilities.
Finally, we posted that the use of artificial intelligence in oncologic imaging should receive a boost, with the official launch of the European Federation for Cancer Images, a four-year infrastructure development initiative.
That's all for now. Be sure to check back regularly for more news in your Molecular Imaging Community!
