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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Oncol.Rev.
Sec. Oncology Reviews: Reviews
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/or.2024.1409410

Preoperative and Intraoperative Molecular Imaging and Detection for Assessing Extent of Disease in Solid Tumors

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States
  • 2 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
  • 3 ACTIS Medical, LLC, Powell, OH, United States
  • 4 Division of Surgical Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The authors propose a concept of "systems engineering," the approach to assessing the extent of diseased tissue (EODT) in solid tumors. We modeled the proof of this concept based on our clinical experience with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and gastrinoma that included short and long-term survival data of CRC patients. This concept, applicable to various solid tumors, combines resources from surgery, nuclear medicine, radiology, pathology, and oncology needed for preoperative and intraoperative assessments of a patient's EODT. The concept begins with a patient presenting with biopsy-proven cancer. An appropriate preferential locator (PL) is a molecule that preferentially binds to a cancer-related molecular target (i.e., tumor marker) lacking in non-malignant tissue and is the essential element. Detecting the PL after an intravenous injection requires the PL labeling with an appropriate tracer radionuclide, a fluoroprobe, or both. Preoperative imaging of the tracer's signal requires molecular imaging modalities alone or in combination with computerized tomography (CT). These include positron emission tomography (PET), PET/CT, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), SPECT/CT for preoperative imaging, gamma cameras for intraoperative imaging, and gamma-detecting probes for precise localization. Similarly, fluorescent-labeled PLs require appropriate cameras and probes. This approach provides the surgeon with real-time information needed for R0 resection.

    Keywords: radionuclide, fluorescence, guided- surgery, intraoperative-imaging, fluorescence-guided surgery

    Received: 30 Mar 2024; Accepted: 28 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hitchcock, Chapman, Mojzisik, Mueller and Martin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Charles L. Hitchcock, The Ohio State University, Columbus, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.