Radionuclide molecular probe for the diagnosis and target therapy of malignant melanoma

Early diagnosis and accurate staging are important for planning therapeutic intervention to improve outcomes in patients with malignant melanoma (MM). Noninvasive molecular imaging has been extensively studied in cancer diagnosis, staging, therapeutic evaluation, and prognosis. Several radiopharmaceuticals have been developed to diagnose and treat MM, such as monoclonal antibodies, melanocortin receptors, benzamide (BZA) and BZA analogs. In this review, the characteristics and limitations of these radionuclide molecular probes are summarized and discussed. (authors)