The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7399 p526
6 May 2006

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Imaging technologies may give answers in cancer trials

Advances in imaging technologies could provide knowledge about the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of new cancer drugs in clinical trials, according to a recent review article (Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2006;98:580).

The authors focus on two such technologies — magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and positron emission tomography (PET) — because they are increasingly available and offer superior functional and metabolic understanding compared with many other imaging tools.

Paul Workman, lead author and chairman of Cancer Research UK’s pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic technologies advisory committee, said that technologies such as MRS and PET could improve how drugs are monitored and reduce the need for invasive procedures such as biopsies.