Predicting response to sepantronium bromide (YM155), a survivin suppressant, by PET imaging with [11C]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 [11C]YM155 in YM155-sensitive tumors demonstrated by PET imaging suggest the potential utility of performing [11C]YM155 PET to allow the identification of patients with YM155-sensitive tumors.