New Research Shows Viability of PET Imaging Agent for Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Conventional imaging doesn’t provide sufficient clarity for differentiating between benign renal masses and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), “the deadliest renal cancer and the most frequent one,” noted Jeremie Calais, M.D, MSc, during an interview at the recent Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) conference in Chicago.

However, a new positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent may facilitate more effective detection of ccRCC, according to emerging research from the international multicenter ZIRCON trial. For the ZIRCON study, researchers assessed the use of ⁸⁹ZR-DFO-girentuximab (TLX250-CDx, Telix Pharmaceuticals) for ccRCC detection in adult patients with indeterminate renal masses. Abdominal PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging was obtained five days after administration of 89ZR-DFO-girentuximab, according to the study.

In a study presented at the SNMMI conference, Dr. Calais discussed findings from the 34-patient University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) cohort of the ZIRCON trial. The study findings revealed an 87 percent sensitivity rate for ccRCC and a 100 percent positive predictive value for positive scans with ⁸⁹ZR-DFO-girentuximab.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “Emerging PET/CT Imaging Agent Shows Promise for Diagnosing Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.”)

“(⁸⁹ZR-DFO-girentuximab) really provides a great tool for patients with indeterminate mass in the kidney. From seven centimeters to four centimeters and two centimeters, you still keep these good characterization properties. It’s exciting to work with this new imaging agent,” noted Dr. Calais, an associate professor at the Ahmanson Translational Theranostics Division of the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

For more insights from Dr. Calais, watch the video below.