TSPO expression in brain tumours: is TSPO a target for brain tumour imaging?
File(s)
Author(s)
Roncaroli, F
Su, Z
Herholz, K
Gerhard, A
Turkheimer, FE
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Positron emission tomography (PET) alone or in combination with MRI is increasingly assuming a central role in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for brain tumours with the aim of addressing tumour heterogeneity, assisting in patient stratification, and contributing to predicting treatment response. The 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is expressed in high-grade gliomas, while its expression is comparatively low in normal brain. In addition, the evidence of elevated TSPO in neoplastic cells has led to studies investigating TSPO as a transporter of anticancer drugs for brain delivery and a selective target for tumour tissue. The TSPO therefore represents an ideal candidate for molecular imaging studies. Knowledge of the biology of TSPO in normal brain cells, in-depth understanding of TSPO functions and biodistribution in neoplastic cells, accurate methods for quantification of uptake of TSPO tracers and pharmacokinetic data regarding TSPO-targeted drugs are required before introducing TSPO PET and TSPO-targeted treatment in clinical practice. In this review, we will discuss the impact of preclinical PET studies and the application of TSPO imaging in human brain tumours, the advantages and disadvantages of TSPO imaging compared to other imaging modalities and other PET tracers, and pathology studies on the extent and distribution of TSPO in gliomas. The suitability of TSPO as molecular target for treatment of brain tumours will also be the appraised.
Date Issued
2016-03-22
Date Acceptance
2016-03-07
Citation
Clinical and Translational Imaging, 2016, 4, pp.145-156
ISSN
2281-7565
Publisher
Springer Verlag (Germany)
Start Page
145
End Page
156
Journal / Book Title
Clinical and Translational Imaging
Volume
4
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
License URL
Identifier
PII: 168
Subjects
Brain tumours
PET imaging
Translocator protein
Publication Status
Published