Dual Probes for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Fluorescence Imaging (FI) of Cancer

Simple Summary Being able to detect and image tumors is extremely important for proper diagnosis and treatment. The most sensitive technique, positron emission tomography (PET), is widely applied for such a purpose. Additionally, fluorescence imaging can be used to visually see the margins between healthy and cancerous tissue during surgery. These two techniques can be combined to optimize patient outcomes by ensuring maximum tumor removal. This review will discuss the work that has been done recently to combine these two imaging capabilities into one imaging agent. Dual probes that possess positron emission tomography (PET) and fluorescence imaging (FI) capabilities are precision medicine tools that can be used to improve patient care and outcomes. Detecting tumor lesions using PET, an extremely sensitive technique, coupled with fluorescence-guided surgical resection of said tumor lesions can maximize the removal of cancerous tissue. The development of novel molecular probes is important for targeting different biomarkers as every individual case of cancer has different characteristics. This short review will discuss some aspects of dual PET/FI probes and explore the recently reported examples.

Automated summary

Combining PET and fluorescence imaging techniques can optimize the treatment outcomes for tumor patients. This review discusses the recent research on integrating these two imaging capabilities into one.