From FDG and beyond: the evolving potential of nuclear medicine

Ann Nucl Med. 2023 Nov;37(11):583-595. doi: 10.1007/s12149-023-01865-6. Epub 2023 Sep 25.

Abstract

The radiopharmaceutical 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) has been dominantly used in positron emission tomography (PET) scans for over 20 years, and due to its vast utility its applications have expanded and are continuing to expand into oncology, neurology, cardiology, and infectious/inflammatory diseases. More recently, the addition of artificial intelligence (AI) has enhanced nuclear medicine diagnosis and imaging with FDG-PET, and new radiopharmaceuticals such as prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) have emerged. Nuclear medicine therapy using agents such as [177Lu]-dotatate surpasses conventional treatments in terms of efficacy and side effects. This article reviews recently established evidence of FDG and non-FDG drugs and anticipates the future trajectory of nuclear medicine.

Keywords: Artificial neural; Data analysis; Fibroblast activation protein inhibitor; Fluorodeoxyglucose; Positron emission tomography; Prostate-specific membrane antigen.

Publication types

  • Review