Predicting response to sepantronium bromide (YM155), a survivin suppressant, by PET imaging with [ 11 C]YM155.

The concept that tumor response can be accurately predicted prior to chemotherapy should be exploited to improve cancer treatment outcomes through judicious patient selection. The small molecule sepantronium bromide (YM155), a survivin suppressant, has been developed for the treatment of several cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer. The preferentially high in vitro uptake of YM155 by YM155-sensitive cancer cells and the high in vivo uptake of [C]YM155 in YM155-sensitive tumors demonstrated by PET imaging suggest the potential utility of performing [C]YM155 PET to allow the identification of patients with YM155-sensitive tumors.