Frontiers in Immunology (Oct 2022)

PET/CT molecular imaging in the era of immune-checkpoint inhibitors therapy

  • Yuan Gao,
  • Caixia Wu,
  • Xueqi Chen,
  • Linlin Ma,
  • Xi Zhang,
  • Jinzhi Chen,
  • Xuhe Liao,
  • Meng Liu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1049043
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Cancer immunotherapy, especially immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has paved a new way for the treatment of many types of malignancies, particularly advanced-stage cancers. Accumulating evidence suggests that as a molecular imaging modality, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) can play a vital role in the management of ICIs therapy by using different molecular probes and metabolic parameters. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical data to support the importance of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) imaging in the treatment of ICIs, including the evaluation of the tumor microenvironment, discovery of immune-related adverse events, evaluation of therapeutic efficacy, and prediction of therapeutic prognosis. We also discuss perspectives on the development direction of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging, with a particular emphasis on possible challenges in the future. In addition, we summarize the researches on novel PET molecular probes that are expected to potentially promote the precise application of ICIs.

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