title: [18F]FLT-PET in oncology: current status and opportunities.
abstract: In recent years, [18F]-fluoro-3'-deoxy-3'-L: -fluorothymidine ([18F]FLT) has been developed as a proliferation tracer. Imaging and measurement of proliferation with PET could provide us with a non-invasive staging tool and a tool to monitor the response to anticancer treatment. In this review, the basis of [18F]FLT as a proliferation tracer is discussed. Furthermore, an overview of the current status of [18F]FLT-PET research is given. The results of this research show that although [18F]FLT is a tracer that visualises cellular proliferation, it also has certain limitations. In comparison with the most widely used PET tracer, [18F]FDG, [18F]FLT uptake is lower in most cases. Furthermore, [18F]FLT uptake does not always reflect the tumour cell proliferation rate, for example during or shortly after certain chemotherapy regimens. The opportunities provided by, and the limitations of, [18F]FLT as a proliferation tracer are addressed in this review, and directions are given for further research, taking into account the strong and weak points of the new tracer.
authors.affiliation: PET Center, Groningen University Hospital, Groningen, RB, The Netherlands. l.b.been@pet.azg.nl
authors.forename: Lukas B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Been
authors.forename: Albert J H
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Suurmeijer
authors.forename: David C P
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Cobben
authors.forename: Pieter L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Jager
authors.forename: Harald J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hoekstra
authors.forename: Philip H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Elsinga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015224:Dideoxynucleosides; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D015224:Dideoxynucleosides; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C002854:alovudine