Researchers have pitted PET and SPECT against each other yet again, and PET was crowned the victor. More specifically, flurpiridaz F 18, Lantheus’ investigational PET agent for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), was found superior to SPECT for evaluating patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) during exercise stress testing. {read more here}

Head and neck cancers are notoriously difficult to treat, but researchers say a new scanning technique could help determine whether chemotherapy is effective after just one round of treatment. Combined PET and CT scans accurately measure a tumor’s energy use and ability to convert glucose to energy, offering doctors a faster method of measuring treatment response for head and neck cancers, researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research report in a study published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. {read more here}

Molecular imaging is rapidly gaining recognition as a tool with the capacity to improve every facet of cancer care. Molecular imaging in oncology can be defined as in vivo characterization and measurement of the key biomolecules and molecularly based events that are fundamental to the malignant state. This article outlines the basic principles of molecular imaging as applied in oncology with both established and emerging techniques. {read more here}

The rapidly developing field of nuclear medicine tracers — or probes — to noninvasively study cancer cells in real time during treatment got an “exciting” boost this week. A research team from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City published findings in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine that may help doctors respond more accurately with supplemental cancer treatments.  {read more here}