Screening for colon cancer requires preparation in the form of consumption of a large volume (usually at least4 L) of polyethylene glycol (golytely) to clear the colon of stool and debris. Patients usually find this process tobe unpleasant, and also experience pain, discomfort, and cramping on the ensuing colonoscopy procedure.Those who are at high risk, such as history of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and familial syndromes arerequired to undergo a colonoscopy annually. Methods that can accurately assess the colon for the presence ofcolonic dysplasia in this population may reduce the frequency or extend the interval in between theseprocedures, thus saving time, cost, and patient inconvenience. The development of novel techniques for invivo molecular and cellular imaging in the pre-clinical and clinical setting, particularly those that have molecularspecificity for neoplastic antigens, could have significant implications for the detection of neoplasia in the colon,identification of malignancy recurrence and monitoring of therapeutic response. The increased availability ofclinical SPECT/CT and PET/CT scanners can facilitate the translation of new tumor imaging radioligands to theclinic. The successful outcome of this Project will provide new tools that should lead to important pre-clinicalopportunities to further understand the biology and treatment response of genetically engineered models of thisdisease. Successful validation of these novel reporter probes will provide for new clinical diagnostic imagingcapabilities that may lead to improved patient care by assessing those at high risk for the appropriate timing ofcolonoscopy procedures.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 37 publications
