CAIX-PET SCANS: RESEARCHING A NONINVASIVE WAY TO DETECT ccRCC
Doctors cannot accurately identify clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) with CT and MRI alone.1 However, a different way to identify this kidney cancer type may give doctors a clearer picture.
Scientists are studying biomarkers (pronounced bi-oh-mar-kurs), which are signs of normal or abnormal processes happening in the body.2 Testing for biomarkers might not be helpful for everyone, but for people with kidney cancer, a biomarker called CAIX can be useful in guiding treatment decisions.3,4
CAIX, or carbonic anhydrase IX (pronounced car-bon-ik an-hi-drase 9), is a biomarker that is present in up to 95% of all ccRCC tumors and, when detected, may help doctors learn more about the disease. CAIX appears much less in other types of kidney cancer and is less likely to be found in normal kidney tissue.4
Doctors may soon have access to a new kind of imaging technology called a CAIX-PET scan, which may help accurately detect ccRCC without the need for surgery or a biopsy.5 CAIX-PET scans use an injectable tracer that moves throughout the body and binds tumors with the CAIX biomarker.2,5
CAIX-positive PET image.6 Patient representative example, individual results may vary.
References: 1. Cleveland Clinic. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Accessed July 11, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22273-clear-cell-renal-cell-carcinoma 2. Mayo Clinic. Kidney cancer. Published May 25, 2022. Accessed July 11, 2024. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352669 3. Cleveland Clinic. PET Scan. Accessed August 27, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/10123-pet-scan 4. Stillebroer AB, Mulders PFA, Boerman OC, Oyen WJG, Oosterwijk E. Carbonic anhydrase IX in renal cell carcinoma: implications for prognosis, diagnosis, and therapy. Eur Urol. 2010;58(1):75-83. 5. Hekman MCH, Rijpkema M, Aarntzen EH, et al. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography with 89Zr-girentuximab can aid in diagnostic dilemmas of clear cell renal cell carcinoma suspicion. Eur Urol. 2018;74(3):257-260. 6. Data on file. Telix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
