Use of 111In-DTPA-octreotide scintigraphy in the diagnosis of neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumors of the lung. Preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: The authors report their preliminary experience and results of the use of 111In-DTPA-octreotide scintigraphy (octreoscan) in the staging of neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumors of the lung. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 1995 to May 1996 twenty-six scintigraphic studies were performed in patients affected by lung cancer at the Department of Thoracic Surgery and at the Service of Nuclear Medicine of the University of Turin. RESULTS: Scintigraphy made it possible to detect the lesion in all the patients affected by neuroendocrine tumors and in 63.2% of the patients affected by non-neuroendocrine neoplasm of the lung. Scintigraphy also revealed mediastinal lymphnodal metastases in patients in which thoracic CT scan was negative: this result was confirmed by postoperative TNM. CONCLUSIONS: The authors stress the importance of 111In-DTPA-octreotide scintigraphy in a correct procedure of staging of neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumors of the lung and in the follow-up of neoplastic patients.

[Preliminary results on the use of scintigraphy with radiolabelled octreotide as diagnostic method in neuroendocrine and nonendocrine neoplasms of the lung]. / Risultati preliminari sull'utilizzo della scintigrafia con octreotide radiomarcato come metodica di diagnosi delle neoplasie neuroendocrine e non neuroendocrine del polmone.

Personal experience on the use of 111In-DTPA-octreotide scintigraphy (Octreoscan) in the staging of neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine tumors of the lung is reported. From July 1995 to May 1996 26 scintigraphic studies were performed in patients affected by lung cancer at the Department of Thoracic Surgery and at the Service of Nuclear Medicine of the University of Turin. The scintigraphy allowed to detect the lesion in all the neuroendocrine tumors and in 63.2% of the non neuroendocrine ones. Their preliminary results are discussed and stress is laid on the importance of this scintigraphic procedure in the staging and the follow-up of neoplastic patients.

Technetium-99m labelled macroaggregated albumin arterial catheter perfusion scintigraphy: prediction of gastrointestinal toxicity in hepatic arterial chemotherapy.

Gastrointestinal toxicity from hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) of floxuridine in patients with liver metastases is probably due to extrahepatic perfusion or to partial escape of the drug from first-pass liver extraction. The aim of this study was to verify the role of technetium-99m-labelled macroaggregated albumin (99mTc-MAA) arterial catheter perfusion scintigraphy at the beginning of each chemotherapy cycle in decreasing or preventing gastrointestinal toxicity. We studied 167 consecutive patients. On the basis of the scintigraphic follow-up and the presence or absence of an intrahepatic arteriovenous shunt (IHAVS), we classified our patients into the following groups: (1) FU+ hepatic distribution pattern (DP), comprising 29 patients with regular scintigraphic follow-up who showed the expected distribution pattern at each control or a distribution pattern with transient alterations (extrahepatic escape) promptly reversed by the replacement of the catheter. Among these 29 patients there was one case of gastrointestinal toxicity. (2) FU- hepatic DP, comprising 128 patients who were evaluated with 99mTc-MAA only at the beginning of the first chemotherapy cycle, showed the expected distribution pattern and underwent HAI with no further scintigraphic evaluation. Among these 128 patients there were 28 cases of gastrointestinal toxicity. (3) FU+ pulmonary DP, comprising three patients with abnormally elevated pulmonary uptake (higher than 5%) and with regular scintigraphic follow-up. There were two cases of gastrointestinal toxicity among these three patients. (4) FU- pulmonary DP, comprising seven patients with abnormally elevated pulmonary uptake and without regular scintigraphic follow-up. There were four cases of gastrointestinal toxicity among these seven patients. The incidence of toxicity was significantly higher in group FU- hepatic DP than in group FU+ hepatic DP (21.9% vs 3.4%, P<0.05). In both the FU+ pulmonary DP and FU- pulmonary DP groups, the incidence of gastrointestinal toxicity was higher than 50%, with no significant difference between them. We conclude that, when performing 99mTc-MAA perfusion scintigraphy, the presence of an abnormally elevated pulmonary uptake (IHAVS higher than 5%) is the most relevant positive prognostic index for the development of gastrointestinal toxicity. Furthermore, in the absence of abnormal pulmonary uptake (IHAVS lower than 5%), strict scintigraphic follow-up is useful since it is able to promptly diagnose the presence of extrahepatic abdominal perfusion and thus to prevent the occurrence of gastrointestinal toxicity.