Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.8
4.4
Journals
Cancers
Special Issues
Molecular PET Imaging in Cancer Metabolic Studies
share announcement

Molecular PET Imaging in Cancer Metabolic Studies

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Methods and Technologies Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 447

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Aditi Mulgaonkar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Interests: cancer metabolism; immunological PET; imaging of infectious diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sashi Debnath

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
Interests: PET tracers; radiosynthesis; PET imaging; cancer; pharmacodynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a highly sensitive, non-invasive imaging modality that can precisely detect/trace molecular-level targets or processes in the whole body using suitable radiotracers. PET has demonstrated significant value in cancer diagnosis and tumor metabolism and is now a critical component of oncologic clinical management as well as translational cancer research. Integrating PET with other anatomical imaging modalities such as MRI or CT can provide more comprehensive insights into tumor microenvironment and cancer metabolism by combining PET derived functional information at the molecular level with MRI or CT derived anatomical detail. PET imaging with metabolic tracers like 18F-fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG, glucose analog) has been extensively utilized clinically to detect varied cancers based on upregulated glucose metabolism (a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect). However, 18F-FDG PET has challenges with false positives from high metabolic activity in non-malignant conditions, and false negatives with non-glucose avid tumors. This has necessitated expansion of novel PET agent development beyond traditional glycolysis imaging processes to delineate other novel physiological markers or pathways driving cancer progression. This issue will incorporate articles identifying new PET imaging agents targeting such physiological pathways governing varied aspects of tumor biology including imaging of upregulated oncogenic proteins or receptors and cancer neoantigens.

Dr. Aditi Mulgaonkar
Dr. Sashi Debnath
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • PET imaging
  • PET/CT
  • PET/MRI
  • cancer metabolism
  • tumor microenvironment
  • cancer antigens
  • radiotracers

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

33 pages, 5542 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in PET and Radioligand Therapy for Lung Cancer: FDG and FAP
by Eun Jeong Lee, Hyun Woo Chung, Young So, In Ae Kim, Hee Joung Kim and Kye Young Lee
Cancers 2025, 17(15), 2549; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17152549 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 146
Abstract
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite advancements, the overall survival rate for lung cancer remains between 10% and 20% in most countries. However, recent progress in diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies [...] Read more.
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite advancements, the overall survival rate for lung cancer remains between 10% and 20% in most countries. However, recent progress in diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies has led to meaningful improvements in survival outcomes, highlighting the growing importance of personalized management based on accurate disease assessment. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) has become essential in the management of lung cancer, serving as a key imaging modality for initial diagnosis, staging, treatment response assessment, and follow-up evaluation. Recent developments in radiomics and artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning and deep learning, have revolutionized the analysis of complex imaging data, enhancing the diagnostic and predictive capabilities of FDG PET/CT in lung cancer. However, the limitations of FDG, including its low specificity for malignancy, have driven the development of novel oncologic radiotracers. One such target is fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that is overexpressed in activated cancer-associated fibroblasts within the tumor microenvironment of various epithelial cancers. As a result, FAP-targeted radiopharmaceuticals represent a novel theranostic approach, offering the potential to integrate PET imaging with radioligand therapy (RLT). In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of FDG PET/CT in lung cancer, along with recent advances in AI. Additionally, we discuss FAP-targeted radiopharmaceuticals for PET imaging and their potential application in RLT for the personalized management of lung cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular PET Imaging in Cancer Metabolic Studies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop