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copper Cu 64-ATSM
Pronunciation
Definition 1
A substance being studied in PET imaging to detect certain types of tumors. Copper Cu 64 is a radioactive substance. It is linked to ATSM, which is taken up by tissues that have low levels of oxygen, such as some tumor tissues. A PET scanner is used to detect which cells in the body have taken up copper Cu 64-ATSM. It is a type of radioimaging agent. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
A radioconjugate consisting of a lipophilic copper(II)bis(thiosemicarbazone) labeled with the positron- and beta-emitting isotope (64)Cu with hypoxia-selective and antineoplastic activities. With a high membrane permeability and redox potential, copper Cu 64-ATSM is preferentially taken up by hypoxic cells compared to normoxic cells; the extent of retention in tissue is inversely related to the state of tissue oxygenation allowing the quantitation of tissue hypoxia by positron emission tomography (PET). In addition, the radioactive copper moiety of this agent may deliver a selective cytotoxic dose of beta radiation to hypoxic tumor cells. (NCI Thesaurus)