Habibollah Dadgar, Nasim Norouzbeigi, Majid Assadi, Esmail Jafari, Batool Al-Balooshi, Akram Al-Ibraheem, Abdulredha A Esmail, Fahad Marafi, Mohamad Haidar, Haider Muhsin Al-Alawi, Yehia Omar, Sharjeel Usmani, Andrea Cimini, Maria Ricci, Hossein Arabi, Habib Zaidi
{"title":"A Prospective Evaluation of Chemokine Receptor-4 (CXCR4) Overexpression in High-grade Glioma Using <sup>68</sup>Ga-Pentixafor (Pars-Cixafor™) PET/CT Imaging.","authors":"Habibollah Dadgar, Nasim Norouzbeigi, Majid Assadi, Esmail Jafari, Batool Al-Balooshi, Akram Al-Ibraheem, Abdulredha A Esmail, Fahad Marafi, Mohamad Haidar, Haider Muhsin Al-Alawi, Yehia Omar, Sharjeel Usmani, Andrea Cimini, Maria Ricci, Hossein Arabi, Habib Zaidi","doi":"10.1016/j.acra.2024.11.064","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains the gold standard for morphological imaging, its ability to differentiate between tumor tissue and treatment-induced changes on the cellular level is insufficient. Notably, glioma cells, particularly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), demonstrate overexpression of chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4). This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive <sup>68</sup>Ga-Cixafor™ PET/CT as a tool to improve diagnostic accuracy in patients with high-grade glioma.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this retrospective analysis, a database of histopathology-confirmed glioma patients with MRI findings consistent with high-grade gliomas was utilized. Within 2 weeks of their MRI, these patients underwent <sup>68</sup>Ga-Cixafor™ PET/CT scans to assess CXCR4 expression. Both visual scoring based on established criteria and semi-quantitative measures including maximum standardized uptake value (SUV<sub>max</sub>) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) were calculated to analyze the PET/CT data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our retrospective study enrolled 29 histologically confirmed glioma patients with MRI findings consistent with high-grade gliomas. All patients underwent <sup>68</sup>Ga-Cixafor™ PET/CT scans within 2 weeks of their MRI, specifically at one-hour post-injection time point. Visual assessment based on a standardized scoring system identified 27 positive scans out of 29 (93.1%). Median SUV<sub>max</sub> was 2.31 (range: 0.49-9.96) and median TBR was 20 (range: 6.12-124.5). Pathological analysis revealed 5 grade III (17.24%) and 24 grade IV (82.75%) lesions among the 29 patients. Notably, the median SUV<sub>max</sub> of grade IV lesions (2.85) was significantly higher than grade III lesions (1.27) (P=0.02). Conversely, there was no significant difference in median TBR between grade IV (20) and grade III (22.37). These findings support the correlation between high CXCR4 expression, particularly in high-grade gliomas, and elevated uptake of <sup>68</sup>Ga-Pentixafor. While areas with high uptake showed CXCR4 expression, areas with low uptake did not exhibit noticeable expression (data not shown).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study demonstrated that <sup>68</sup>Ga-Cixafor™ PET exhibits a TBR with minimal cortical uptake, significantly enhancing glioma detection compared to conventional imaging methods. This, combined with the potential therapeutic capabilities of CXCR4-targeting radiopharmaceuticals, highlights the promise of <sup>68</sup>Ga-Cixafor™ as a valuable tool for not only improved glioma diagnosis but also personalized treatment strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":50928,"journal":{"name":"Academic Radiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Academic Radiology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2024.11.064","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains the gold standard for morphological imaging, its ability to differentiate between tumor tissue and treatment-induced changes on the cellular level is insufficient. Notably, glioma cells, particularly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), demonstrate overexpression of chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4). This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive 68Ga-Cixafor™ PET/CT as a tool to improve diagnostic accuracy in patients with high-grade glioma.
Methods: In this retrospective analysis, a database of histopathology-confirmed glioma patients with MRI findings consistent with high-grade gliomas was utilized. Within 2 weeks of their MRI, these patients underwent 68Ga-Cixafor™ PET/CT scans to assess CXCR4 expression. Both visual scoring based on established criteria and semi-quantitative measures including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) were calculated to analyze the PET/CT data.
Results: Our retrospective study enrolled 29 histologically confirmed glioma patients with MRI findings consistent with high-grade gliomas. All patients underwent 68Ga-Cixafor™ PET/CT scans within 2 weeks of their MRI, specifically at one-hour post-injection time point. Visual assessment based on a standardized scoring system identified 27 positive scans out of 29 (93.1%). Median SUVmax was 2.31 (range: 0.49-9.96) and median TBR was 20 (range: 6.12-124.5). Pathological analysis revealed 5 grade III (17.24%) and 24 grade IV (82.75%) lesions among the 29 patients. Notably, the median SUVmax of grade IV lesions (2.85) was significantly higher than grade III lesions (1.27) (P=0.02). Conversely, there was no significant difference in median TBR between grade IV (20) and grade III (22.37). These findings support the correlation between high CXCR4 expression, particularly in high-grade gliomas, and elevated uptake of 68Ga-Pentixafor. While areas with high uptake showed CXCR4 expression, areas with low uptake did not exhibit noticeable expression (data not shown).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that 68Ga-Cixafor™ PET exhibits a TBR with minimal cortical uptake, significantly enhancing glioma detection compared to conventional imaging methods. This, combined with the potential therapeutic capabilities of CXCR4-targeting radiopharmaceuticals, highlights the promise of 68Ga-Cixafor™ as a valuable tool for not only improved glioma diagnosis but also personalized treatment strategies.
期刊介绍:
Academic Radiology publishes original reports of clinical and laboratory investigations in diagnostic imaging, the diagnostic use of radioactive isotopes, computed tomography, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, digital subtraction angiography, image-guided interventions and related techniques. It also includes brief technical reports describing original observations, techniques, and instrumental developments; state-of-the-art reports on clinical issues, new technology and other topics of current medical importance; meta-analyses; scientific studies and opinions on radiologic education; and letters to the Editor.