FAPI PET/CT Imaging-An Updated Review

Overview

Journal Diagnostics (Basel)

Specialty Radiology

Date 2023 Jun 28

PMID 37370912

Authors

Kunal Ramesh Chandekar

Arun Prashanth

Sobhan Vinjamuri

Rakesh Kumar

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Despite revolutionizing the field of oncological imaging, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with [F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as its workhorse is limited by a lack of specificity and low sensitivity in certain tumor subtypes. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a type II transmembrane glycoprotein, is expressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that form a major component of the tumor stroma. FAP holds the promise to be a pan-cancer target, owing to its selective over-expression in a vast majority of neoplasms, particularly epithelial cancers. Several radiolabeled FAP inhibitors (FAPI) have been developed for molecular imaging and potential theranostic applications. Preliminary data on FAPI PET/CT remains encouraging, with extensive multi-disciplinary clinical research currently underway. This review summarizes the existing literature on FAPI PET/CT imaging with an emphasis on diagnostic applications, comparison with FDG, pitfalls, and future directions.

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