VEGF in nuclear medicine: Clinical application in cancer and future perspectives (Review).
Clinical trials using antiangiogenic drugs revealed their potential against cancer. Unfortunately, a large percentage of patients does not yet benefit from this therapeutic approach highlighting the need of diagnostic tools to non-invasively evaluate and monitor response to therapy. It would also allow to predict which kind of patient will likely benefit of antiangiogenic therapy. Reasons for treatment failure might be due to a low expression of the drug targets or prevalence of other pathways. Molecular imaging has been therefore explored as a diagnostic technique of choice. Since the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF/VEGFR) pathway is the main responsible of tumor angiogenesis, several new drugs targeting either the soluble ligand or its receptor to inhibit signaling leading to tumor regression could be involved. Up today, it is difficult to determine VEGF or VEGFR local levels and their non-invasive measurement in tumors might give insight into the available target for VEGF/VEGFR-dependent antiangiogenic therapies, allowing therapy decision making and monitoring of response.
IRCCS-G.B. Bietti Foundation, Rome, Italy.
Samanta
S
Taurone
Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy.
Filippo
F
Galli
Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy.
Alberto
A
Signore
Department of Biochemical Sciences 'A. Rossi Fanelli', 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy.
Enzo
E
Agostinelli
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Rudi A J O
RA
Dierckx
Department of Sensory Organs, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy.
Antonio
A
Minni
Department of Sensory Organs, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy.
Marcella
M
Pucci
Department of Sensory Organs, 'Sapienza' University, Rome, Italy.
Marco
M
Artico
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor