Fluciclovine F 18 (brand name Axumin) is a radioactive diagnostic agent (radiopharmaceutical) used for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence.
It helps detect and localize tumors based on elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after previous treatment.
Has low sensitivity when PSA is one or less.
Primary Use: Fluciclovine F 18 is specifically indicated for PET scans to find sites of suspected recurrent prostate cancer, particularly when conventional imaging (like CT or bone scans) has limitations.
Mechanism of Action: It is a synthetic amino acid analog labeled with the radioactive tracer F 18.
Cancer cells, including prostate cancer cells, have an increased need for amino acids for growth and metabolism, resulting in an overexpression of amino acid transporters on their surface.
Fluciclovine is recognized and rapidly taken up by these upregulated transporters (specifically ASCT2 and LAT1).
Unlike natural amino acids, it is not incorporated into proteins, so it accumulates within the cancer cells, allowing them to be visualized by the PET scanner.
The drug is administered via intravenous injection.
The use of fluciclovine F 18 PET/CT has demonstrated superior performance compared to traditional imaging methods in localizing small metastatic lymph nodes and other extraprostatic disease sites, which can significantly influence a patient’s treatment plan.
In short, fluciclovine is an imaging agent that exploits the altered metabolism of cancer cells to help physicians accurately pinpoint where cancer may have returned.