The FIG Trial

18F-FDOPA PET imaging in GLIOMA: feasibility study for PET guided brain biopsy

The radiotracer 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[ 18F] fluoro-L-phenylalanine ( 18F-FDOPA) has been shown to be a promising imaging agent for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging evaluation of brain tumours.

The NCITA Exemplar 7 FIG study ( ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04870580is a multicentre phase 1 study which will assess the feasibility of performing 18F-FDOPA PET guided histopathology using standardised PET imaging protocols. The study will be set up initially at the University of Oxford, and will then be expanded to other NCITA host institutions including the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. 

The FIG study will also include assessment of the feasibility of oxygen-enhanced MRI (OE-MRI) for the detection of tumour hypoxia, in collaboration with The University of Manchester and UCL.


See our FIG study patient resources for more details about the study. 

This Exemplar study will provide the feasibility imaging data required to apply for further funding to perform a multicentre clinical evaluation study using 18F-FDOPA PET guided biopsies.

NCITA Example 18F-DOPA imaging showing heterogeneous uptake within the tumour in the brain of a glioma patient
Example 18F-DOPA imaging showing heterogeneous uptake within the tumour in the brain of a glioma patient