Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Apr 12.
Published in final edited form as: J Magn Reson Imaging. 2022 Sep 27;57(2):370–386. doi: 10.1002/jmri.28431

Table 1.

Summary of PET tracers most employed/investigated for breast imaging, with corresponding biological properties and clinical applications.

Tracer Full name Detected biological processes Clinical use FDA approval
18F-FDG 2-deoxy-2–18Ffluoroglucose GLUT-1 upregulation Hexokinase activity Staging Response assessment Diagnosis Yes
18F-NaF Fluorine 18–Sodium Fluoride Hydroxyapatite exposure during bone remodeling Detection of bone metastasis Yes
18F-FES 16α−18F-fluoroestradiol Estrogen receptor expression Staging Diagnosis ER+ BC Yes
89Zr-trastuzumab 89Zr-trastuzumab HER2 expression Diagnosis HER+ BC Assessment HER2 status No
11C-choline and 18F-choline N-[11C] methylcholine 18F-Fluoroethylcholine Cell membrane synthesis Staging Response assessment Diagnosis Yes
18F-FLT 3-deoxy-3-[18F] Fluorothymidine DNA synthesis Response assessment No
68Ga-FAPI-46 68Ga-conjugated fibroblast activation protein inhibitor FAP detection-modulation of tumor microenvironment Diagnosis Staging No