Axumin® (fluciclovine F 18) Injection: First F 18 amino acid agent for PET imaging in recurrent prostate cancer
Fluciclovine F 18:
- Is a synthetic amino acid PET imaging agent labeled with F 18 (molecular weight 132)1
- Is recognized and taken up by amino acid transporters that are upregulated in many cancer cells, including prostate cancer1
- Is taken up preferentially by prostate cancer cells, compared with surrounding normal tissues1
- Is not metabolized or incorporated into newly synthesized proteins2
- Limited urinary activity may facilitate delineation of lesions directly adjacent to the urinary bladder3

Axumin mechanism of action: Increased uptake of fluciclovine into prostate cancer cells by upregulated amino acid transporters, such as ASCT2 and LAT1.1-4
Adapted from Fuchs BC. Semin Cancer Biol. 2005.4
References:
- Axumin [package insert]. Oxford, UK: Blue Earth Diagnostics Ltd; May 2021.
- Schuster DM, Nanni C, Fanti S, et al. Anti-1-amino-3-18F-fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid: physiologic uptake patterns, incidental findings, and variants that may simulate disease. J Nucl Med. 2014;55(12):1986-1992.
- Pernthaler B, Kulnik R, Gstettner C, Salamon S, Aigner RM, Kvaternik H. A prospective head-to-head comparison of 18F-fluciclovine with 68Ga-PSMA-11 in biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer in PET/CT. Clin Nucl Med. 2019;44(10):e566-e573.
- Fuchs BC, Bode BP. Amino acid transporters ASCT2 and LAT1 in cancer: partners in crime? Semin Cancer Biol. 2005;15(4):254-266.