30-Second Takeaway
- CAIX- and FAPI-targeted PET/CT are outperforming FDG and CT in key oncologic indications and treatment planning.
- Routine FDG-PET/CT can reveal early denosumab-related MRONJ long before clinical symptoms, allowing preventive intervention.
- Amyloid and tau PET increasingly provide independent prognostic and pathologic confirmation beyond structural or perfusion imaging.
- FAPI and LAFOV kinetic PET tools are expanding quantitative multi-organ and fibroinflammatory applications beyond traditional oncology.
- Psychotropic drugs may rapidly alter FDG brain signals independent of CBF, complicating interpretation of neuro-PET under treatment.
Week ending February 7, 2026
Emerging PET Applications Reshaping Oncologic, Cardiac, Neuro, and Systemic Imaging
CAIX-targeted [18F]AlF-NYM005 PET/CT outperforms FDG for staging clear cell RCC
In 61 patients with clear cell RCC, CAIX-targeted [18F]AlF-NYM005 PET/CT showed markedly higher accuracy for primary renal tumors than FDG PET/CT. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for renal tumors were all substantially higher with [18F]AlF-NYM005 compared with FDG. The CAIX tracer detected many more metastatic lesions, especially in lymph nodes, pleura or peritoneum, and lung, than FDG. Staging or restaging changed in about one-third of patients when using [18F]AlF-NYM005 instead of FDG PET/CT. Tumor uptake and tumor-to-liver ratios were higher with [18F]AlF-NYM005, and uptake correlated with CAIX expression and adverse pathology.
[18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI PET/CT refines lung cancer radiotherapy volumes and spares organs
This secondary analysis of 51 stage I–III lung cancer patients compared CE-CT, FDG PET/CT, and [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI PET/CT for radiotherapy planning. CE-CT-based gross tumor volumes were larger than PET-based volumes, mainly due to inclusion of obstructive pneumonia. Planning target volumes for IMRT and IMPT were significantly smaller when based on [18F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI compared with CE-CT. FAPI-based IMRT plans reduced radiation doses to the heart, contralateral lung, and both lungs compared with CE-CT-based plans.
FDG-PET/CT detects MRONJ months before symptoms in denosumab-treated metastatic breast cancer
This Austrian cohort included metastatic breast cancer patients on monthly denosumab who developed MRONJ and matched denosumab-treated controls. Nuclear medicine physicians retrospectively identified jaw abnormalities on FDG-PET/CT in 91% of MRONJ cases and 29% of controls. Imaging changes preceded clinical MRONJ diagnosis by a median of about eight months, providing a substantial window for intervention. In most MRONJ cases, readers could localize the future necrotic tooth region within two teeth on PET/CT.
References
Numbered in order of appearance. Click any reference to view details.
Additional Reads
Optional additional studies from this edition.