German researchers have developed a PET imaging method that may raise the bar on diagnosing certain cancers. The method targets cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which have been linked to tumor growth and are present in over 90 percent of epithelial carcinomas such as pancreatic, colon and breast cancer. The team created a PET tracer based on a FAP-specific enzyme inhibitor (FAPI). Read more.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) identified with cardiac stress PET testing was a better predictor of adverse events among obese patients than body mass index (BMI) and other traditional risk factors, researchers reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Although BMI is easy to calculate and widely used in clinical practice, it is far from a perfect risk marker, the authors noted. Read more.

Awareness of the potential to misinterpret PSMA PET results can increase diagnostic accuracy and more accurately guide therapy

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has become a popular method for determining the stage of a patient's prostate cancer. However, researchers have identified a major pitfall in this imaging technique and are cautioning medical professionals to be aware of the potential for misdiagnosis when relying solely on PSMA PET. Read more.

Blood clots in veins and arteries can lead to heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism, which are major causes of mortality. German researchers show that targeting GPIIb/IIIa receptors, the key receptor involved in platelet clumping, with a fluorine-18 (¹⁸F) labeled ligand is a promising approach for diagnostic imaging. Current imaging modalities rely on structural characteristics, such as vascular flow impairment, and do not address the critical molecular components. Read more.