Strategies for molecular imaging of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase in cancer.
A wealth of research has focused on developing targeted cancer therapies by specifically inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK). However, the outcome of most EGFR-TK-targeted drugs that were approved by the Food and Drug Administration or entered clinical trials has been only moderate. Enhancement of EGFR-targeted therapy hinges on a reliable in vivo quantitative molecular imaging method. Such a method would enable monitoring of receptor drug binding and receptor occupancy in vivo; determination of the duration of EGFR inhibition in vivo; and, potentially, identification of a primary or secondary mutation in EGFR leading to drug interaction or loss of EGFR recognition by the drug. This review analyzes the most recent strategies to visualize and quantify EGFR-TK in cancer by nuclear medicine imaging and describes future directions.
Mishani
Eyal
E
Cyclotron Unit, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. eyalmi@ekmd.huji.ac.il
Hagooly
Aviv
A
D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D066246:ErbB Receptors