fluorotyrosine F 18

Fluorotyrosine F 18 is a non-specific term that can refer to multiple fluorine-18 labeled tyrosine radiopharmaceuticals used in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, most notably 2-[18F]fluoro-L-tyrosine (18F-FTyr) and O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (18F-FET, officially known as floretyrosine F 18). These agents function as amino acid analogs that are actively transported into cells via L-type amino acid transporters (LAT1 and LAT2), which are highly overexpressed in various malignant tumors, particularly gliomas. Unlike 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), these tracers exhibit low physiological uptake in normal brain tissue, providing a high tumor-to-background ratio that is highly effective for brain tumor imaging, delineating tumor margins, and distinguishing tumor recurrence from treatment-related changes (such as radiation necrosis). In September 2026, the FDA approved floretyrosine F 18 under the brand name Pixclara for the PET-based differentiation of recurrent or progressive glioma from treatment-related changes.

Brand names

Pixclara

Other names

18F-FET18F-FTyr18F-TYR2-[18F]fluoro-L-tyrosine2-fluoro-L-tyrosine F-18FET F-18floretyrosine (18F)floretyrosine F 18fluoroethyl-L-tyrosine F-18L-2-[18F]fluorotyrosineO-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine