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Hypoxia, a hallmark of most solid tumours, is a negative prognostic factor due to its association with an aggressive tumour phenotype and therapeutic resistance. Given its prominent role in oncology, accurate detection of hypoxia is important, as it impacts on prognosis and could influence treatment planning. A variety of approaches have been explored over the years for detecting and monitoring changes in hypoxia in tumours, including biological markers and noninvasive imaging techniques. Positron emission tomography (PET) is the preferred method for imaging tumour hypoxia due to its high specificity and sensitivity to probe physiological processes in vivo, as well as the ability to provide information about intracellular oxygenation levels. This review provides an overview of imaging hypoxia with PET, with an emphasis on the advantages and limitations of the currently available hypoxia radiotracers.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/bjc.2014.610

Type

Journal article

Journal

Br J Cancer

Publication Date

20/01/2015

Volume

112

Pages

238 - 250

Keywords

Cell Hypoxia, Humans, Neoplasms, Nitroimidazoles, Positron-Emission Tomography, Radiopharmaceuticals, Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted