title: Molecular imaging of cancer with positron emission tomography.
abstract: The imaging of specific molecular targets that are associated with cancer should allow earlier diagnosis and better management of oncology patients. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a highly sensitive non-invasive technology that is ideally suited for pre-clinical and clinical imaging of cancer biology, in contrast to anatomical approaches. By using radiolabelled tracers, which are injected in non-pharmacological doses, three-dimensional images can be reconstructed by a computer to show the concentration and location(s) of the tracer of interest. PET should become increasingly important in cancer imaging in the next decade.
authors.affiliation: Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, UCLA School of Medicine, 700 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90095-1770, USA. sgambhir@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Sanjiv Sam
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Gambhir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D016723:Bone Remodeling; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose; D010100:Oxygen