MO-AB-BRA-06: Dynamic FLT PET for Investigating Potential Synergistic Therapeutic Targets During Anti-Angiogenic Treatment

Purpose: Novel treatment strategies for metastatic cancer patients involve synergistically combining treatments with the hope of improving outcomes. This study investigated changes in tumor proliferative and vascular characteristics derived from dynamic [F-18]FLT PET during antiangiogenic treatment with the goal of identifying synergistic treatment opportunities. Methods: Patients with various solid cancers underwent continuous three-week cycles of anti-angiogenic treatment with intermittent dosing (two-weeks-on/one-week-off). Patients received up to six dynamic FLT PET/CT scans (days 0, 14, and 21 of cycle 1 (C1) and cycle 3 (C3)). Tumor proliferative (Kflt, net uptake rate) and vascular parameters (K1 blood-to-tissue transfer; Vb, vascular fraction) were calculated using a two-tissue compartment four-rate parameter kinetic model. Relative changes in these parameters, from day 0 to 14 (TxResp) and day 14 to 21 (offTxResp), were calculated. Significant differences were tested using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and significant correlations were tested using Spearman correlation. Results: Thirty patients were evaluable for C1 offTxResp with median values for Kflt, K1, and Vb of +30%, +35% and +30%, respectively. The fractions of patients with positive C1 offTxResp were: 21/30 for Ki, 24/30 for K1, 21/30 for Vb, and 12/30 had positive offTxResp for all three kinetic parameters. The offTxResp in C3 was not significantly different from C1 for any of the kinetic parameters. Significant correlations were found between TxResp and offTxResp in C1 for Kflt (ρ=-0.52, p=0.014), K1 (ρ=−0.61, p=0.003) and Vb (ρ=−0.80, p