Reston, VA (April 17, 2026)—New research has been published ahead-of-print by The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM). JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Summaries of the newly published research articles are provided below.
Tracking and Treating Kidney Cancer with One Precision Tool
Researchers are testing a new dual-purpose imaging and treatment approach for advanced kidney cancer. In early studies, the experimental tracer 68Ga/177Lu-NYM096 showed strong tumor targeting in animals and two patients, with measurable tumor responses and manageable side effects, while helping doctors track drug distribution and radiation dose throughout the body.
Sharper Imaging for Unclear Liver Lesions
A prospective study compared two PET/CT scans for evaluating suspicious liver lesions. In 59 patients, 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT showed higher sensitivity and stronger tumor contrast than 18F-FDG PET/CT, while most benign lesions showed little uptake. The technique also identified more extrahepatic tumors and correlated with fibroblast activation protein expression.
Second Scan, New Clues in Recurrent Prostate Cancer
When an initial PSMA PET/CT scan is negative, a follow-up scan may still uncover disease. In a registry study of 210 patients, the second scan detected cancer in over half of cases, especially with higher PSA levels or faster PSA doubling, and frequently influenced subsequent treatment decisions.
Blood Test Tracks Treatment Response in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Researchers explored circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a tool to monitor patients receiving 223Ra for advanced prostate cancer. In a multicenter study, specific genetic alterations and higher ctDNA levels were linked to poorer outcomes, while changes in ctDNA during treatment reflected differences in disease progression and survival.
Imaging the Immune Response in Lung Cancer
Scientists developed a new PET tracer, 68Ga-DOTA-ICOSpep, to visualize activated immune cells during lung cancer immunotherapy. In preclinical models, the scan tracked ICOS-positive T cells with high specificity and aligned with tissue analyses, offering a way to measure immune activity and inflammatory signaling during treatment.
Fast, Whole-Body Imaging for Parathyroid Disease
Researchers mapped how 11C-choline moves through the body using total-body dynamic PET in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. The tracer showed rapid uptake and clear visualization of parathyroid adenomas within minutes, alongside detailed organ distribution, radiation dose estimates, and distinct kinetic patterns compared with normal thyroid tissue.
Sharper Staging Improves Prognosis in Prostate Cancer
Adding PSMA PET to standard imaging reshaped disease staging in men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. In a 42-patient study, PET-defined tumor burden aligned more closely with overall survival than conventional imaging, with trends toward better prediction of progression-free survival across high- and low-volume disease groups.
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