'Powerful' new PET agent improves the diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer
A new PET imaging agent could help providers better distinguish the different tumor subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
It can be challenging to identify TNBC due to its many subtypes, which can thrive in a variety of environments. What’s more, these subtypes have a wide array of biological behaviors and treatment responses, making it equally difficult to determine the most effective treatment strategy. However, experts now believe they may have found a way to more accurately diagnose and treat the disease.
Researchers developed a new monoclonal antibody-based PET tracer— [89Zr]Zr-DFO-F8—that targets the disease-specific extracellular matrix protein domain A of fibronectin, or EDA-FN. This protein is highly expressed in breast cancer, making it an ideal target for PET tracers.
“Hormone receptor- and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative breast cancers, collectively known as triple-negative breast cancer, comprise roughly 20% of BC diagnoses and have a worse prognosis compared with other BCs,” according to the research. “High relative genomic stability in stromal cells ensures consistent EDA-FN expression across TNBC subtypes and disease states, overcoming subtype specific limitations of previously described radiopharmaceuticals in preclinical studies.”
The team hypothesized that their imaging agent could help overcome the heterogeneity of TNBC by binding to excess amounts of EDA-FN, which would indicate a cancer’s aggressiveness. To test their theory, they conducted both in vitro and in vivo analyses in multiple preclinical xenograft models.
In the in vitro analysis, [89Zr]Zr-DFO-F8 showed specific, blockable EDA-FN binding activity, while the in vivo assessment showed high tumor uptake of the imaging agent. It identified EDA-FN in subcutaneous and orthotopic TNBC xenografts and showed greater accumulation in aggressive disease as determined by higher EDA-FN expression. It also outperformed the standard-of-care [18F]FDG tracer.
The group determined that the agent “exhibits powerful tumor delineation” in challenging cases of determining TNBC subtype, adding that it could lead to more personalized, effective treatment strategies.
Learn more about the findings here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.