Researchers have long used non-proprietary imaging agents such as 18F-Fluoroumisonidazole (FMISO), 18F-Sodium Fluoride and Fluorothymidine (FLT-PET) to evaluate cancerous tumours. Now, with manufacturing and distribution support from Cardinal Health, the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) is conducting nationwide clinical trials with positron emission tomography (PET) to determine if these agents can be used in new ways to assess the efficacy of cancer treatments.

The ACRIN trials, funded by the National Cancer Institute, aim to better characterize cancerous tumours and to help oncologists select the most appropriate treatment for patients with cancer. The research also aims to help develop strategies to more quickly evaluate new cancer treatments and speed the delivery of effective drugs into clinical use.

The four ACRIN clinical trials that Cardinal Health is supporting include a clinical trial to determine whether FMISO can be used as a biotracer to measure the oxygen level (or hypoxia) of a specific type of brain tumour called glioblastoma. Knowing how hypoxic a tumor is may help treating physicians determine the best course of therapy for their patients. Cardinal Health is the only entity to have a drug master file with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to produce this imaging agent.

A clinical trial to determine whether 18F-Sodium Fluoride, a bone imaging agent, can be used to gain information about how the drug dasatinib may work in treating castration-resistant prostate cancer that has spread to the bone.

Two clinical trials assessing FLT-PET. One will evaluate its ability to assess whether chemotherapy treatments have been successful in reducing tumours prior to surgery in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. The other will use FLT-PET and advanced MRI sequences to assess whether imaging biotracers can be useful in predicting the likelihood of survival among patients with glioblastoma tumours.

Cardinal Health's Nuclear Pharmacy Services business operates more than 30 cyclotrons throughout the United States. These machines manufacture the high-energy PET imaging agents that allow internal images to be taken of the body. Cardinal Health cyclotrons are strategically located throughout the country to enable nearly 100 of the company's 160 radiopharmacies to compound and dispense high-energy, PET imaging agents in unit-dose form. Cardinal Health's vast network of "PET-enabled" pharmacies, combined with its comprehensive fleet and logistics capabilities, play a critical role in enabling patients, hospitals, clinics and research facilities to participate in innovative clinical trials of both proprietary and non-proprietary imaging agents.

"Cardinal Health's extensive nuclear pharmacy expertise and its broad network of PET manufacturing and distribution sites make it an important partner in enabling ACRIN to conduct clinical trials using novel PET imaging probes," said David Mankoff, chair of ACRIN's Experimental Imaging Sciences Committee and professor of radiology in the nuclear medicine department at the University of Washington. "Cardinal Health is playing a critical role in helping ACRIN find new ways to leverage imaging probes such as Sodium Fluoride, FMISO and FLT to assess the efficacy of cancer treatments."

The two organizations share a commitment to supporting the continued growth of molecular imaging and look forward to continuing to work together to find innovative ways to use this important modality to improve treatment plans for oncology patients.

"Our support of these ACRIN clinical trials is an excellent example of Cardinal Health's commitment to finding new ways to leverage molecular imaging to improve health care efficiency, effectiveness and the way patient care is delivered," said John Rademacher, president and general manager of Cardinal Health's Nuclear Pharmacy Services business. "We are proud to be a partner with ACRIN and NCI and to play a role in advancing the early detection, treatment and ultimately the cure for this devastating disease."

The American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) is a member of the National Cancer Institute's Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Programme.

Cardinal Health is a US$ 96 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, improving efficiency and quality, and increasing profitability.