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Figure 3 Detection of Neoangiogenesis

(Top) (A) Coronal image section from a ¹⁸F-Galacto-RGD positron emission tomography of a patient with a malignant melanoma and a lymph node metastasis at the right axilla obtained 60 min after tracer injection. The image shows a clearly contrasting tumor and rapid predominately renal elimination with low background activity in almost all areas of the body. (B and C) Patient with a soft tissue sarcoma dorsal of the right knee joint. (B) The image fusion of the ¹⁸F-Galacto-RGD positron emission tomography and the corresponding computed tomography scan shows that the regions of intense tracer uptake correspond with the enhancing tumor wall, whereas the nonenhancing hypodense center shows no tracer uptake. (C) Immunohistochemistry of a peripheral tumor section using the anti-_vβ₃ monoclonal antibody LM609 demonstrates intense staining predominantly of tumor vasculature. (Bottom) (D) Immunohistochemical staining of tumor sections using the anti-_vβ₃ mAb LM609 demonstrates that the squamous cell carcinoma of human origin do not express the _vβ₃ integrin. (E) In contrast, staining of sections with an antibody against the murine β₃-subunit indicates that the tumor vasculature is _vβ₃-positive. (F and G) Transaxial images of nude mice bearing a human squamous cell carcinoma at the right shoulder acquired 90 min after ¹⁸F-Galacto-RGD injection show a clearly contrasting tumor. The signal reflects tracer accumulation due to _vβ₃ expression exclusively in the tumor vasculature. Tracer accumulation can be blocked by injecting 18-mg cyclo(-Arg-Gly-Asp-DPhe-Val-) per kilogram mouse 10 min before tracer injection indicates receptor-specific accumulation. Adapted from Haubner et al. (43).