Reston, VA (October 6, 2025)—New research has been published ahead-of-print by The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM). JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Summaries of the newly published research articles are provided below.
Optimizing Treatment Schedules for a Promising Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy
Researchers tested different dosing schedules of a new prostate cancer radiopharmaceutical, 212Pb-AB001, in mice to determine how timing and activity levels affect tumor control and safety. Multiple weekly treatment cycles produced stronger tumor suppression and longer survival than less frequent dosing, without signs of toxicity, highlighting the importance of schedule design.
Ultra-Low-Dose CT Keeps PET Scans Clear While Cutting Radiation by 97 Percent
Researchers tested a new ultra-low-dose CT protocol with a special filter to reduce radiation in PET/CT scans for cancer patients. The approach lowered CT radiation exposure by 97 percent without affecting image quality or diagnostic accuracy, suggesting a safer way to perform high-quality PET imaging in oncology.
Heart Imaging Reveals Hidden Nerve Damage in Lewy Body Diseases
Using two PET tracers, researchers found that patients with Lewy body diseases have severely reduced storage of norepinephrine in heart nerve endings—indicating that some cardiac neurons remain alive but functionally impaired. This discovery highlights potential opportunities to protect or restore these “sick-but-not-dead” nerve cells through targeted treatments.
Next-Generation Radiotherapy Shows Promise After PSMA Treatment Failure
In the first multicenter study of ¹⁶¹Tb-PSMA, men with advanced prostate cancer who no longer responded to ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA therapy showed encouraging results. Over half experienced tumor shrinkage and major PSA declines, with minimal side effects. The findings suggest ¹⁶¹Tb-based therapies could offer new hope for treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
Combining Radiotherapies to Boost Prostate Cancer Treatment
A growing body of research suggests that pairing external-beam radiotherapy with ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA therapy may enhance tumor control in prostate cancer. Early studies show improved outcomes compared with either treatment alone, and multiple clinical trials are underway to refine dosing, timing, and patient selection for this promising dual approach.
Tracking Alpha Therapy’s Fallout in Prostate Cancer Treatment
Researchers studied how ²²⁵Ac-PSMA I&T, a powerful alpha-emitting radioligand for advanced prostate cancer, behaves in the body. While it effectively targets tumors, some radioactive decay products migrate to the kidneys and salivary glands, increasing radiation exposure there—offering insight into both the therapy’s strong efficacy and its side effects.
Splenectomy Linked to Lower Blood Toxicity in Neuroendocrine Tumor Therapy
A multicenter study found that patients without a spleen experienced far less leukopenia after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for neuroendocrine tumors. Splenectomized patients maintained higher white blood cell counts and better blood profiles overall, suggesting the spleen plays a key role in PRRT-related hematologic side effects and treatment tolerance.
Ultra-High-Resolution Brain PET Enables Accurate Blood Curve Measurement Without Needles
Using the new NeuroEXPLORER PET scanner, researchers showed that precise blood activity curves can be derived directly from brain images—eliminating the need for invasive blood sampling. The scanner’s exceptional resolution allows accurate early-time measurements from carotid arteries, paving the way for faster, simpler, and more patient-friendly PET imaging analyses.
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About JNM and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) is the world’s leading nuclear medicine, molecular imaging and theranostics journal, accessed 15 million times each year by practitioners around the globe, providing them with the information they need to advance this rapidly expanding field. Current and past issues of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine can be found online at http://jnm.snmjournals.org.
JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, visit www.snmmi.org.
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Journal of Nuclear Medicine