From Target Engagement to Treatment Governance: The Evolving Role of Amyloid PET in Anti-Amyloid Therapy

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Authors: Massimo Filippi, Giordano Cecchetti, Alma Ghirelli, Edoardo Gioele Spinelli, Giulia Rugarli, Stefano Pisano, Ana Maria Samanes Gajate, Arturo Chiti, Federica Agosta
Cited by: 1
References: 18

Abstract

The introduction of anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies has shifted Alzheimer's disease care from diagnostic clarification alone to the problem of treatment governance. While lecanemab and donanemab have demonstrated amyloid reduction at the group level, routine clinical care raises a different question: how should treatment exposure be managed in individual patients within constrained healthcare systems? We suggest that amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) may support this task by providing a quantitative baseline reference for target engagement and by informing decisions on treatment continuation, switching, or discontinuation during follow-up. However, amyloid reduction on PET should not be equated with proven individual-level clinical benefit, and the potential role of longitudinal PET must be considered alongside unresolved questions regarding safety, treatment burden, feasibility, and health-system capacity. Drawing on real-world experience from a high-volume European memory clinic, we argue that amyloid PET may have an increasingly relevant role within structured anti-amyloid treatment pathways.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Intracerebral and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Research Amyloidosis: Diagnosis Treatment Outcomes Alzheimer's disease research and treatments

Publication details

Journal / source
The Lancet Regional Health - Europe
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
67
Pages
101757–101757
Publication date
23 June 2026
Language
EN