The most commonly used biomarker for cancer detection is 18F-FDG, but that may soon change. Researchers at the Universiti Putra Malaysia have discovered that a newer biomarker called 18F-FLT might be more effective at detecting bone marrow, pancreatic and lung cancer.

In a paper published in the Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, the research team reviewed studies that have investigated 18F-FLT over the past 30 years.

Even though 18F-FDG is so widely utilized, it has been shown to be less effective in certain instances. Several studies have found that it can lead to false positives when taken up by normal cells and false negatives when not enough is taken up.

However, 18F-FLT has shown promise in targeting proliferating cells with specificity. Several studies have demonstrated that it is less likely to be taken up by inflamed tissue or benign cancer, which improves the accuracy of the cancer diagnosis.

"It is well accepted that 18F-FDG is the ubiquitous marker in PET oncological practice. Nevertheless, 18F-FLT is an exciting marker with improved specificity that could be the number one candidate for therapeutic monitoring," Hassan Hishar, the lead author of the paper wrote in a statement.

The 18F-FLT biomarker is made up of a sugar and thymine, which is one of the four main components of DNA. It’s incorporated into DNA when a certain gene called TK1 is active and that gene happens to be much more active in a malignant tumor.

Despite the success 18F-FLT has demonstrated in bone marrow, pancreatic and lung cancer, it’s not yet known how well it works for breast cancer. In addition, studies have shown that it is less effective at detecting colorectal and melanoma cancer.

The research team will continue to investigate the biomarker to gain a better understanding of its potential in cancer imaging.