Fluorothymidine F-18
 | A request that this article title be changed to Fluorothymidine F-18 is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
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| Other names | [18F]Fluorothymidine; Fluorothymidine F-18 |
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| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C10H13F2N2O4 |
| Molar mass | 243.22 g/mol g·mol−1 |
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
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18F-3'-Fluoro-3'-deoxythymidine or 18F-FLT is a tumour-specific PET tracer (radiopharmaceutical). It is a version of alovudine in which the fluorine atom has been isotopically labeled as fluorine-18. FLT is suitable for monitoring how tumours respond to cytostatic therapy. FLT accumulates in proliferating cells where it indicates the activity of the enzyme thymidine kinase - cell division can characterised by the activity of that enzyme. FLT is phosphorylated as though it were thymidine, and is subsequently incorporated into DNA. Thymidine is essential for DNA replication. Considering that FLT lacks a 3′-hydroxy group, polymerisation of DNA is impeded following incorporating of FLT. FLT indicates changes in tumour cell proliferation by tracking the restoration of nucleosides from degenerated DNA.[1]
References
- ^ Wagner, M; Seitz, U; Buck, A; Neumaier, B; Schultheiss, S; Bangerter, M; Bommer, M; Leithäuser, F; Wawra, E; Munzert, G; Reske, S. N. (2003). "3'-18Ffluoro-3'-deoxythymidine (18F-FLT) as positron emission tomography tracer for imaging proliferation in a murine B-Cell lymphoma model and in the human disease" (PDF). Cancer research. 63 (10): 2681–7. PMID 12750297.