Early Detection of Chemoradioresponse in Esophageal Carcinoma by 3′-Deoxy-3′-3H-Fluorothymidine Using Preclinical Tumor Models

Abstract

Purpose: Early identification of esophageal cancer patients who are responding or resistant to combined chemoradiotherapy may lead to individualized therapeutic approaches and improved clinical outcomes. We assessed the ability of 3′-deoxy-3′-¹⁸F-fluorothymidine positron emission tomography (FLT-PET) to detect early changes in tumor proliferation after chemoradiotherapy in experimental models of esophageal carcinoma.