Perspective of αvβ6-Integrin Imaging for Clinical Management of Pancreatic Carcinoma and Its Precursor Lesions

beta(6)-integrin immunohistochemistry analysis of a large number of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC, 383 primary tumors, 7 lymph node, and 8 distant metastases) and 34 pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) specimens revealed a high prevalence of alpha(v)ss(6)-integrin expression in PDAC primaries (88%) and in almost all metastases, as well as in PanIN (57%). These findings underscore the high potential of a novel alpha(v)ss(6)-integrin targeting positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceutical, Ga-68-Avebehexin, for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.