An Approach to Breast Cancer Diagnosis via PET Imaging of Microcalcifications Using 18F-NaF

Current radiologic methods for diagnosing breast cancer detect specific morphologic features of solid tumors or any associated calcium deposits. These deposits originate from an early molecular microcalcification process of 2 types: type 1 is calcium oxylate and type II is carbonated calcium hydroxyapatite. Type I microcalcifi-cations are associated mainly with benign tumors, whereas type II microcalcifications are produced internally by malignant cells. No current noninvasive in vivo techniques are available for detecting intratumoral microcalcifications. Such a technique would have a significant impact on breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis in preclinical and clinical settings. 18F-NaF PET has been used solely for bone imaging by targeting the bone hydroxyapatite. In this work, we provide preliminary evidence that 18F-NaF PET imaging can be used to detect breast cancer by targeting the hydroxyapatite lattice within the tumor microenvironment with high specificity and soft