Dynamic PET Imaging Gains Attention at CHILI 9.0
Early tracer data from dynamic PET scans may reveal tumor and circulatory information, according to presentations at the CHILI 9.0 conference.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Cancer
Dynamic PET imaging, which tracks radioactive tracers as they move through blood vessels and accumulate in tissue, was presented at CHILI 9.0 on November 6, 2026. Presenters said the early tracer data can assess tumors, circulation, and organ function, though the early findings remain preliminary.
Why it matters
Dynamic PET may offer vascular information without an additional iodinated contrast agent, which could matter for patients with contrast allergies or impaired renal function. Whether it becomes part of routine clinical decision-making will depend on further validation.
The presentations draw on institutional experience of about 15,000 PET studies since January 2023, with roughly 25 patients scanned daily. Clinical validation of the early dynamic findings remains outstanding.
The players
Rodney Hicks
Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, who presented dynamic PET work at CHILI 9.0.
Lalit Sundar
Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, who presented examples of pulmonary and vascular findings from early dynamic PET data.
The details
At CHILI 9.0, Prof. Rodney Hicks and Prof. Lalit Sundar described dynamic PET acquisitions that follow a tracer through the circulation after a single injection, providing both perfusion and metabolic information. Examples included wedge-shaped perfusion defects consistent with multiple pulmonary emboli and a tumor obstructing the superior vena cava that forced blood through collateral vessels. Hicks' center already uses dynamic acquisitions for prostate, breast, sarcoma, ocular melanoma, liver, and head and neck cancers.
Timeline
January 2023: Hicks' center installed a Biograph Vision Quadra scanner.
November 6, 2026: Dynamic PET presentations were reported at CHILI 9.0.
Big Picture
The work builds on the Biograph Vision Quadra scanner installed at Hicks' center in January 2023, extending its use from static PET reads toward dynamic acquisitions that capture tracer passage through the circulation. Whether this shifts routine oncology imaging depends on validation not yet reported.
For patients, dynamic PET may someday offer vascular and perfusion information from a single scan without an additional iodinated contrast agent, which could matter for people with contrast allergies or impaired kidney function. The technique remains preliminary, so patients should continue to follow their oncologists' guidance on imaging.
The takeaway
Dynamic PET is an emerging approach that may add vascular information to cancer imaging, but its clinical value awaits further validation. Patients with contrast concerns should ask their care teams whether imaging options like this are relevant to their situation.
Further reading
Explore more on Cancer research and imaging advances.
Source note: This article includes information reported by AuntMinnieEurope.
