Over the last several years, positron emission tomography (PET) has matured as an indispensable component of cancer diagnostics. Owing to the large variability observed among the cancer patients and the need to personalize individual patient's diagnosis and treatment, the need for new positron emitting radioisotopes has continued to grow. This mini review opens with a brief introduction to the criteria for radioisotope selection for PET imaging. Subsequently, positron emitting radioisotopes are categorized as: established, emerging and futuristic, based on the stages of their advancement. The production methodologies and the radiochemical separation procedures for obtaining the important radioisotopes in a form suitable for preparation of radiopharmaceuticals for PET imaging are briefly discussed.

在过去的几年中，正电子发射断层扫描 (PET) 已成为癌症诊断不可或缺的组成部分。由于在癌症患者中观察到的巨大差异以及个体化患者诊断和治疗的需要，对新的正电子发射放射性同位素的需求持续增长。这篇小型回顾首先简要介绍了 PET 成像的放射性同位素选择标准。随后，正电子发射放射性同位素根据其发展阶段分为：已建立、新兴和未来。简要讨论了以适合制备用于 PET 成像的放射性药物的形式获得重要放射性同位素的生产方法和放射化学分离程序。