Receptor site imaging

The success of any field depends on its ability to adapt to changing situations. It has been clear for years that the strength of nuclear medicine has been its ability to measure functional changes. Its strength is not in measuring anatomic structures. Receptor-binding radiotracers are ideal candidates for the measure of a specific process in humans using a noninvasive technique. This paper discusses how preliminary results using estrogen receptor-binding radiotracers have been encouraging, and many receptor-binding radiotracers should be in clinical trials in the immediate future. The expectation is that we will be able to measure the change in concentration of receptor as a function of disease. This should allow physicians to individualize therapy and to monitor the progress of that therapy by a noninvasive method