Molecular imaging with new PET tracers

In the recent years, positron emission tomography (PET) has gained more and more importance, especially in oncology for primary staging, as well as for response evaluation. The glucose analogon 18F-FDG is the most widely used tracer up to now. In this paper, we review the applications of newly developed, more specific PET tracers. These tracers allow for imaging of a variety of biological processes, such as hypoxia and proliferation. The expression of different receptors can be visualized, like the somatostatin receptor 2 and the integrin αvβ3. Moreover, gene expression can be imaged as well. While most of these approaches are currently in the first phases of clinical evaluation, imaging of hypoxia and proliferation might be integrated into the daily routine in the near future. © 2006 Springer Medizin Verlag.