Abstract

Over the past several years, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging agents labeled with ⁶⁸Gallium (⁶⁸Ga) have undergone a significant increase in clinical utilization. ⁶⁸Ga is conveniently produced from a germanium-68/gallium-68 (⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga) generator. Because of the compact size and ease of use of the generator, ⁶⁸Ga labeled compounds may be more cost-effective than PET radioisotopes that are cyclotron-produced. The convenient half-life of ⁶⁸Ga (T_1/2=68 min) provides sufficient radioactivity for various PET imaging applications, while delivering acceptable radiation doses to patients. This chapter summarizes the emerging clinical utilization of ⁶⁸Ga-based radiotracers in medical imaging.

Keywords: ⁶⁸Gallium, generator, neuroendocrine tumors, positron emission tomography, somatostatin receptor scintigraphy, PSMA.

Graphical Abstract