What are biomarkers?
Biomarkers are biologic indicators of disease or of the therapeutic effects of treatments. These indicators can be measured through a variety of means, including dynamic imaging tests and laboratory tests on blood, tissue, and other biologic samples. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is an example of a biomarker currently in wide use to aid in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, as well as to monitor treatment response. 3. What is FDG-PET? The rationale for the use of FDG-PET relies on the difference in basic energy requirements between tumor and normal cells, i.e., tumor cells require more energy to survive and spread. For this procedure, the patient is injected with FDG – a molecule very similar to glucose (a type of sugar), but with a radioactive tracer (F18) attached to it – and then is imaged in a PET machine. Tumor cells, particularly those from especially aggressive tumors, will consume significantly larger amounts of the FDG than normal cells from surrounding tissue. The r
