Archive PET/CT photo: Då.nu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped; illustrative, not Hoboken equipment.
Patients being evaluated for a returning or growing glioma brain tumor have a new local imaging option in Hoboken. Hackensack Meridian Health said Friday that its Hoboken imaging center is offering Pixclara, a radioactive diagnostic drug used with a PET scan to help doctors distinguish tumor growth from changes caused by earlier treatment.
The distinction matters because a concerning change on a scan does not always mean cancer is growing. Surgery, radiation and other treatment effects can complicate the picture. Pixclara is intended to add information to that evaluation, not replace the rest of the medical assessment or treat the tumor itself.
In its October 30 announcement, Hackensack Meridian said it was the first hospital network in the Northeast to administer the drug. That regional-first claim is the hospital’s; the concrete local development is availability at Hackensack Meridian Hoboken Imaging Services.
What the imaging drug does
Pixclara, also called floretyrosine F 18, is injected into a vein before positron emission tomography, or PET, imaging. It is a radioactive tracer that allows a scanner to collect information for the clinician’s assessment.
The FDA prescribing information, revised in September 2026, says the drug is indicated to help differentiate recurrent or progressive glioma from treatment-related change, together with other diagnostic evaluations. It covers adults and children age 1 month and older.
That is a specific diagnostic use. It is not a general screening test for everyone, a stand-alone verdict that a tumor has returned, or a cancer treatment. Friday’s announcement concerns the hospital network’s rollout, not a new FDA approval issued that day.
Why another scan can help
Hackensack Meridian neuro-oncologist Dr. Deric Park described the practical challenge as deciding whether an abnormality on an MRI represents a growing tumor or inflammation and scarring from treatment. Additional imaging can help the care team consider that question alongside the patient’s history and other test results.
The hospital says the new option supports decisions by its multidisciplinary teams. It does not mean that every patient with a brain tumor needs Pixclara, or that an imaging result alone determines which treatment a patient should receive.
Limits and safety still apply
The FDA label warns that images can be misinterpreted and must be read cautiously with other diagnostic evaluations and clinical history. Because the drug is radioactive, it also requires radiation-safety measures to limit unnecessary exposure to patients and healthcare workers. Headache was the most commonly reported adverse reaction in the label.
The hospital announcement does not establish an individual patient’s eligibility, insurance coverage, out-of-pocket cost or appointment timing. Those are separate questions for the treating team and imaging provider.
For people facing uncertainty after glioma treatment, the useful change is access to another diagnostic tool close to home. The promise is more information for a difficult medical decision, not a claim that the scan cures cancer or makes every result certain.
JBizNews Desk | HEALTH
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