Minerva urology and nephrology
CAIX-targeted PET/CT in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review of current evidence and clinical perspectives
By Garrou F, Sacchetti GM, Leva L and 3 others.
Abstract
Background
Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX)-targeted PET/CT is an emerging molecular imaging approach for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). This systematic review aimed to summarize the clinical evidence on CAIX-targeted PET/CT for ccRCC detection and characterization.
Methods
PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched on March 29, 2026, according to PRISMA 2020. Original clinical studies evaluating CAIX-targeted PET/CT in adult patients with suspected or confirmed renal masses or metastatic/recurrent renal cell carcinoma were included. Study selection, data extraction, and QUADAS-2 quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. Because of substantial clinical and methodological heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was performed.