Innovative ImmunoPET Tracer Promises Earlier Detection of Liver Cancer
A novel GPC3-targeted ImmunoPET tracer has demonstrated high sensitivity for early detection of liver cancer, offering hope for improved diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
A groundbreaking molecular imaging agent targeting glypican-3 (GPC3) has shown remarkable potential in the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer. This new tracer, known as 68Ga-aGPC3-scFv or XH06, demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in a pilot clinical study involving patients with suspected liver tumors.
The study revealed that XH06 is safe, well-tolerated, and capable of producing high-contrast PET/MR images that clearly delineate GPC3-positive liver tumors, including those smaller than one centimeter. This ability to detect tiny lesions represents a significant advance over traditional imaging techniques, which often struggle with identifying early-stage HCC.
Imaging results showed an impressive sensitivity of 90.63% and a specificity of 100% when compared with surgical pathology, confirming the tracer’s accuracy. The tracer predominantly accumulated in kidney tissue, with low background activity elsewhere, enhancing the visibility of tumors. The increase in tumor uptake over time further demonstrated its strong imaging capabilities.
HCC accounts for 75–85% of all primary liver cancers and remains a major global health challenge due to its silent development and late diagnosis. Currently, diagnosis relies on contrast-enhanced CT or MRI, which often detect tumors only at advanced stages. The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Xiaoli Lan, highlights that immunoPET imaging targeting GPC3 could revolutionize early diagnosis and tumor staging, leading to timely and potentially life-saving interventions.
Presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025 Annual Meeting and published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, this research underscores the promising role of molecular imaging in transforming liver cancer detection and management. By focusing on a specific cell surface receptor overexpressed in most HCCs, this technique offers a highly precise diagnostic tool, paving the way for earlier treatment opportunities and improved patient outcomes.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-immunopet-tracer-early-liver-cancer.html
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