fluoro-l-thymidine

3'-deoxy-3'-[18F]fluoro-L-thymidine (FLT) is a radiolabeled thymidine analog used as a positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer to visualize and quantify cellular proliferation in tumors. It is transported into cells by nucleoside transporters and subsequently phosphorylated by the enzyme thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), which is highly expressed during the S-phase of the cell cycle. This phosphorylation traps the tracer within the cell, allowing for the assessment of tumor proliferative activity. In clinical research conducted by the University of Cologne, such as the MIMEB study, FLT-PET is utilized as an imaging biomarker to predict early response to targeted therapies like erlotinib and bevacizumab in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). By monitoring changes in tumor proliferative activity shortly after the start of therapy, FLT-PET serves as a predictive tool for clinical outcomes.

Other names

3'-deoxy-3'-[18F]fluoro-L-thymidine3'-deoxy-3'-fluorothymidineFluoro-L-thymidine