FDOPA-(18F): a PET radiopharmaceutical recently registered for diagnostic use in countries of the European Union

Positron emission tomography (PET) and its recent update PET/CT are very effective diagnostic tools for non-invasive imaging of metabolic or functional disorders in target tissues. The clinical usefulness of fluorodeoxyglucose-(18F) (FDG) has been now widely accepted. Recently, the clinical usefulness of fluoroDOPA-(18F) or FDOPA, an aminoacid labelled with the same positron emitter fluorine-18, has been evaluated and recognised in France and subsequently in several EU countries. FDOPA is diagnostic PET agent, which has been used for decades in imaging the loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease, and more recently to detect, stage and restage neuroendocrine tumours and to search for recurrence of viable glioma tissue. The present article summarises the body of evidence that led the French Medicines Agency (AFSSAPS) to grant a marketing authorisation to IASOdopa, a commercial preparation of FDOPA. Brief case reports and figures illustrate the diagnostic performance of FDOPA PET or PET/CT in the different settings that are currently approved in oncology.