RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 <sup>18</sup>F-PFPN PET: A New and Attractive Imaging Modality for Patients with Malignant Melanoma
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine
JO J Nucl Med
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP 1537
OP 1543
DO 10.2967/jnumed.121.263179
VO 63
IS 10
A1 Zhang, Xiao
A1 Li, Mengting
A1 Gai, Yongkang
A1 Chen, Jing
A1 Tao, Juan
A1 Yang, Liu
A1 Hu, Fan
A1 Song, Wenyu
A1 Yen, Tzu-Chen
A1 Lan, Xiaoli
YR 2022
UL http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/63/10/1537.abstract
AB 18F-FDG PET has limited diagnostic applications in malignant melanoma (MM). 18F-N-(2-(diethylamino)ethyl)-5-(2-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy)picolinamide (18F-PFPN) is a novel PET probe with high affinity and selectivity for melanin. We conducted a clinical study with 2 aims, first to investigate the biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of 18F-PFPN in healthy volunteers, and second, to examine the diagnostic utility of 18F-PFPN PET imaging in patients with MM. Methods: 18F-PFPN was synthesized through a fluoro-for-tosyl exchange reaction. Five healthy volunteers were enrolled to investigate the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, radiation dosimetry, and safety of the tracer. Subsequently, a total of 21 patients with clinically suspected or confirmed MM underwent both 18F-PFPN PET/MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT scans. The normalized SUVmax of selected lesions was determined for both tracers and compared in patient- and lesion-based analyses. Results: 18F-PFPN has an elevated radiochemical yield and was highly stable in vivo. In healthy volunteers, 18F-PFPN was safe and well tolerated, and its effective absorbed dose was comparable to that of 18F-FDG. In patient-based analysis, 18F-PFPN uptake was higher than 18F-FDG for both primary tumors and nodal metastases. In lesion-based analysis,18F-PFPN PET imaging could detect 365 metastases that were missed on 18F-FDG PET. Additionally, 18F-PFPN PET imaging had clinical value in distinguishing false-positive lesions on 18F-FDG PET. Conclusion: 18F-PFPN is a safe and well-tolerated melanin PET tracer. In a pilot clinical study, 18F-PFPN PET imaging outperformed traditional 18F-FDG PET in identifying both primary MM and its distant spread.