Cardiac Uptake of 18F Florbetapir in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Current research involving [18F]-florbetapir in relationship to cardiac amyloid has taken advantage of the ability of the radiopharmaceutical to bind specifically to amyloid fibrils. It has previously been established that the degree of radiotracer uptake correlates with the density of Beta-amyloid plaque. The ability to quantify this uptake makes [18F]-florbetapir imaging a potential tool to evaluate cardiac response in patients undergoing therapy for AL amyloidosis. It would provide a much-needed tool to monitor cardiac response to chemotherapy to potentially adjust chemotherapy if response was not adequate. It could also provide a tool by which investigators would be able to evaluate new therapies designed to decrease the burden of formed amyloid fibrils within the heart.