[Current trends in using PET radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostics in oncology]. / Soucasné trendy ve vyuzívání PET radiofarmak k onkologické dia-gnostice.

Nuclear medicine is an important field of modern medicine, particularly thanks to its role in in vivo imaging of important processes in human organism. This is possible thanks to the use of radiopharmaceuticals, specific substances labeled by radioactive nuclide, its distribution in the body can be visualized by specialized scanners and, based on the knowledge of physiological patterns, dia-gnosis can be determined. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a modern and in many ways indispensable method of nuclear medicine. The spectrum of radiopharmaceuticals available in recent years is broadening thanks to a coordinated effort of manufacturers of synthesis equipment, chemists and potential users -  physicians. This review focuses on the development in the PET radiopharmaceutical field in the last five years, with an emphasis on oncological applications of PET.

["Technetium crisis" -  causes, possible solutions and consequences for planar scintigraphy and SPECT diagnostics]. / "Techneciová krize" -  príciny, mozná resení a dopad na dia-gnostiku planární scintigrafií a SPECT.

Nuclear medicine is an important field of nuclear medicine, especially thanks to its role in in vivo imaging of important processes in human organism. An overwhelming majority of nuclear medicine examinations comprises of planar scintigraphy and single photon emission computed tomography, for decades relying on the labeling by metastable technetium nuclide (99mTc), used with a great diversity of ligands for various applications. Nuclear medicine departments utilize commercially available molybdenum technetium generators, being able to elute the nuclide at any time and prepare the radiopharmaceutical. The mother nuclide, molybdenum-99 (99Mo), is produced in just a handful of places around the world. The production places are without exception research nuclear reactors working far past their life expectancy. A concurrent temporary shutdown of two of them in the year 2009 caused a critical worldwide shortage of 99mTc. An unavoidable permanent shutdown of part of these capacities in the second decade of the 21st century will cause the second, and this time rather permanent "technetium crisis". The article focuses on history, present, potential future and possible solutions in regard to SPECT diagnostics.

Development and use of non-FDG PET radiopharmaceuticals at the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute.

The existence of the cyclotron & PET centre of UJV Rez, a.s., at Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute allows the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute and RECAMO researchers to engage in the research, development and application of new radiopharmaceuticals including compounds labelled by short-living positron emitters (especially [11C]). Currently, a [11C]-labelled tracer, L-[methyl-11C]methionine, is entering phase I clinical evaluation, and scans with PET radiopharmaceuticals other than fluorodeoxyglucose are performed at the Department of Nuclear Medicine. Continued cooperation will bring new possibilities for PET in the Czech Republic in the future.