Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been the subject of several studies in recent decades as a promising molecular target for prostate cancer (PCa), in fact it is considered an excellent molecular target for both PCa imaging (both for staging and follow-up), by means of PET/CT and for radioligand therapy. Its interesting molecular features have enabled the development of a new diagnostic and therapeutic approach for PCa, called "theranostics." Considering the abundance of PSMA-based probes that have appeared so far in the literature, the present work focuses the attention on radiopharmaceuticals with increasing clinical application, highlighting advantages and disadvantages in terms of different metabolization and excretion processes, pharmacokinetic, binding affinity and variable internalization rate, tumor-to-background ratio, residence times and toxicity profile.

Ovarian cancer is the second most prevalent gynecologic malignancy, and ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (OSCA) is the most common and lethal subtype of ovarian cancer. Current screening methods have strong limits on early detection, and the majority of OSCA patients relapse. In this work, we developed and cross-validated a method for detecting gene expression biomarkers able to discriminate OSCA tissues from healthy ovarian tissues and other cancer types with high accuracy. A preliminary ranking-based approach was applied, resulting in a panel of 41 over-expressed genes in OSCA. The RNA quantity gene expression of the 41 selected genes was then cross-validated by using NanoString nCounter technology. Moreover, we showed that the RNA quantity of eight genes (ADGRG1, EPCAM, ESRP1, MAL2, MYH14, PRSS8, ST14 and WFDC2) discriminates each OSCA sample from each healthy sample in our data set with sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%. For the other three genes (MUC16, PAX8 and SOX17) in combination, their RNA quantity may distinguish OSCA from other 29 tumor types.

Rationale: In the diagnostics of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), scintigraphy and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT) with ¹¹¹Indium-Octreotide occupy a prominent place. The introduction in clinical practice of ⁶⁸Gallium-labelled somatostatin analogues (DOTA-TOC, DOTA-TATE, DOTA-NOC) for Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT), significantly improved NETs diagnostics due to greater sensitivity and improved lesion detection in addition to better patient convenience and decreased radiation dose. Patient concerns: We report a case of a patient who was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor of the ileocecal valve. Diagnoses: Diagnosis was made by ultrasonography, CT, and colonoscopy. Hystology after surgery was G2 NET of ileo-cecal valve. Restaging was carried out by ¹¹¹In-Octreotide SPECT/CT and, 1 month later, by ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/C was also carried out. Interventions: ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT showed larger disease that modified disease management from surgery to medical treatment. Outcomes: After an initial improvement in the patient clinical condition, the tumor caused a worsening with the appearance of ascites. Lessons: ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-conjugate PET/CT is appropriate in low and intermediate NET (Ki67 index respectively ≤3% and 3%–20%) characterized by better survival and better response after Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy. ¹⁸F-FDG is mostly useful in high grade (G3) of disease, so that ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-conjugate SUV and ¹⁸F-FDG SUV have an opposite trend in relation to the tumor grade. ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT changes, as in our case, therapeutic management in about 40% of cases.

The aim of this study is to characterise the neutron flux generated directly behind targets used in medical cyclotrons. The characterisation process aims at determining the feasibility of using the generated neutrons for research purposes in neutron activation analysis. The study was performed by activating gold foils placed directly behind the cyclotron targets. The thermal and epithermal neutron flux were found to be 4.5E+05 ± 8.78E+04 neutrons cm⁻² s⁻¹ and 2.13E+06 ± 8.59E+04 neutrons cm⁻² s⁻¹, respectively. The flux value is the same order of magnitude listed in the manual produced by the cyclotron manufacturer. The results are encouraging and show high potential for using the cyclotron facility as a thermal neutron source for research purposes. However, it is important radiation protection procedures be followed to ensure the safety of researchers due to the high gamma dose rate measured directly behind the target at 2.46 Sv/h using an OSL chip during the beam on time.

Natural compounds are important precursors for the synthesis of new drugs. The development of novel molecules that are useful for various diseases is the main goal of researchers, especially for the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Some pathologies need to be treated with radiopharmaceuticals, and, for this reason, radiopharmaceuticals that use the radiolabeling of natural derivates molecules are arousing more and more interest. Radiopharmaceuticals can be used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes depending on the radionuclide. β⁺- and gamma-emitting radionuclides are used for diagnostic use for PET or SPECT imaging techniques, while α- and β⁻-emitting radionuclides are used for in metabolic radiotherapy. Based on these assumptions, the purpose of this review is to highlight the studies carried out in the last ten years, to search for potentially useful radiopharmaceuticals for nuclear medicine that use molecules of natural origin as lead structures. In this context, the main radiolabeled compounds containing natural products as scaffolds are analyzed, in particular curcumin, stilbene, chalcone, and benzofuran. Studies on structural and chemical modifications are emphasized in order to obtain a collection of potential radiopharmaceuticals that exploit the biological properties of molecules of natural origin. The radionuclides used to label these compounds are ⁶⁸Ga, ⁴⁴Sc, ¹⁸F, ⁶⁴Cu, ^99mTc, and ¹²⁵I for diagnostic imaging.

In this study, the potential of a digital autoradiography system equipped with a super resolution screen has been evaluated to investigate the biodistribution of a 18F-PSMA inhibitor in a prostate cancer mouse model. Twelve double xenograft NOD/SCID mice (LNCAP and PC3 tumours) were divided into three groups according to post-injection time points of an 18F-PSMA inhibitor. Groups of 4 mice were used to evaluate the biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical after 30-, 60- and 120-min post-injection. Data here reported demonstrated that the digital autoradiography system is suitable to analyse the biodistribution of an 18F-PSMA inhibitor in both whole small-animal bodies and in single organs. The exposure of both whole mouse bodies and organs on the super resolution screen surface allowed the radioactivity of the PSMA inhibitor distributed in the tissues to be detected and quantified. Data obtained by using a digital autoradiography system were in line with the values detected by the activity calibrator. In addition, the image obtained from the super resolution screen allowed a perfect overlap with the tumour images achieved under the optical microscope. In conclusion, biodistribution studies performed by the autoradiography system allow the microscopical modifications induced by therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals to be studied by comparing the molecular imaging and histopathological data at the sub-cellular level.