Title:The Potential of Radiolabeled Bisphosphonates in SPECT and PET for Bone
Imaging
Volume: 20
Author(s): Zarif Ashhar, Muhammad Fakhrurazi Ahmad Fadzil, Hishar Hassan*, Muhamad Faiz Othman*, Mohd Borhanuddin Md Hassan, Vincent Yong Chun Vui, Chan Guat Choo and Nor Azah Yusof
Affiliation:
- Centre for Diagnostic Nuclear Imaging (CDNI), Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Puncak Alam 42300, Selangor, Malaysia
Keywords:
68Ga, 18F, Bisphosphonate, Radiopharmaceuticals, SPECT, PET, Bone imaging.
Abstract: Skeletal-related events due to bone metastases can be prevented by early diagnosis using radiological or nuclear imaging techniques. Nuclear
medicine techniques such as Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) have been used
for diagnostic imaging of bone for decades. Although it is widely recognized that conventional diagnostic imaging techniques such as Computed
Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have high sensitivity, low cost and wide availability, the specificity of both techniques
is rather low compared to nuclear medicine techniques. Nuclear medicine techniques, on the other hand, have improved specificity when
introduced as a hybrid imaging modality, as they can combine physiological and anatomical information. Two main radiopharmaceuticals are used
in nuclear medicine: [99mTc]-methyl diphosphonate ([99mTc]Tc-MDP) from the generator and [18F]sodium fluoride ([18F]NaF) from the cyclotron.
The former is used in SPECT imaging, while the latter is used in PET imaging. However, recent studies show that the role of radiolabeled
bisphosphonates with gallium-68 (68Ga) and fluorine-18 (18F) may have a potential role in the future. This review, therefore, presents and discusses
the brief method for producing current and future potential radiopharmaceuticals for bone metastases.
