Application of 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT for Thymoma

Chemokine Receptor CXCR4-targeting PET Imaging for Thymoma

Chemokine receptor CXCR4 was expressed in T cells and CXCR4-targeting molecular imaging- 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT could be a promising technique to evaluate the extent of thymoma with higher accuracy. This prospective study is going to investigate whether metabolic characterization by 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT may be superior for diagnosis, distinguish evaluation for thymoma.

Thymoma is 1 rare type of tumor developed on the thymic epithelium; patients with thymoma also might have myasthenia gravis (MG). Because of the scarcity and complexity of MG-associated thymoma, its pathogenesis and etiology still remain unclear nowadays. The expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is absent or low in most healthy tissues but highly expressed in various types of tumors. CXCR4 might contribute to the clinical cancer progression, and CXCR4 could be a valuable prognostic biomarker in the therapy of MG-associated thymoma.

Inclusion Criteria:

• suspected or confirmed untreated thymoma patients
• signed written consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnancy
• breastfeeding
• known allergy against Pentixafor
• any medical condition that in the opinion of the investigator,may
• significantly interfere with study compliance.