2-deoxy-2[F-18] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography Deauville scale and core-needle biopsy to determine successful management after six doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine cycles in advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of the positivity of the Deauville scale (DS) of positron emission tomography (PET) performed at the end of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD) in patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), in terms of providing rationale to shift poor responders onto a more intensive regimen, remain to be validated by histopathology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective trial involved patients with stage IIB/IV HL who after six ABVD cycles underwent PET (PET6) and core-needle cutting biopsy (CNCB) of 2-deoxy-2[F-18] fluoro-d-glucose (FDG)-avid lymph nodes. Patients received high-dose chemotherapy/autologous haematopoietic stem cell rescue (HDCT/AHSCR) if CNCB was positive for HL, alternatively, if CNCB or PET was negative, received observation or consolidation radiotherapy (cRT) on residual nodal masses, as initially planned. The end-point was 5-year progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: In all, 43 of the 169 (25%) evaluable patients were PET6 positive (DS 4, 32; DS 5, 11). Among them, histology showed malignancy (HL) in 100% of DS 5 scores and in 12.5% of DS 4 scores. Fifteen patients with positive biopsy received HDCT/AHSCR, whereas 28 patients with negative biopsy, as well as 126 patients with negative PET6, continued the original plan (cRT, 78 patients; observation, 76 patients). The 5-year PFS in the negative PET6 group, negative biopsy group and positive biopsy group was 95.4%, 100% and 52.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: DS positivity of end-of-ABVD PET in advanced HL carried a certain number of CNCB-proven non-malignant FDG-uptakes. The DS 4 scores which were found to have negative histology appeared to benefit from continuing the original non-intensive therapeutic plane as indicated by the successful outcome in more than 95% of them by obtaining similar 5-year PFS to the PET6-negative group. By contrast, the DS 5 score had consistently positive histology and was associated with unsuccessful conventional therapy, promptly requiring treatment intensification or innovative therapeutic approaches.

Increasing the germination percentage of a declining native orchid (Himantoglossum adriaticum) by pollen transfer and outbreeding between populations.

The declining native orchid Himantoglossum adriaticum H. Baumann is a European endemic of priority interest (92/43/ EEC, Annex II). Northern Italian populations of H. adriaticum are small and isolated, with depressed seed set. Given the important implications for plant population conservation, we tested the hypothesis that artificial pollen transfer (hand-pollination) and outbreeding between populations increases fruit set and seed germination percentage. The background fruit set and in vitro germination rates were determined for ten reference populations. An artificial cross-pollination experiment included (a) pollen transfer from one large population to two small and isolated populations; (b) pollen transfer between two small but not isolated populations; (c) within-population pollen transfer (control). All seeds were sown on a modified Malmgren's medium and cultured in a controlled environment. Germination percentage was compared using a Kruskal-Wallis anova. The background fruit set (mean = 18%) and germination (<5%) rates were consistently low across populations. Fruit set after hand-pollination was consistently 100%. Pollen transfer from the largest population to smaller populations resulted in an increase in total germination ranging from 0.9% to 2.9%. The largest increase in germination occurred between small-sized and less isolated populations (from 1.7% to 5.1%). The results of pollen transfer between the small populations are particularly encouraging, as the mean increase in germination was almost four times that of the control. Outbreeding can be considered a valuable tool to increase genetic flow and germination in natural populations, limit the accumulation of detrimental effects on fitness driven by repeated breeding with closely-related individuals, thereby increasing the possibility of conservation of rare or endangered species.

Pollination networks along the sea-inland gradient reveal landscape patterns of keystone plant species.

Linking the functional role of plants and pollinators in pollination networks to ecosystem functioning and resistance to perturbations can represent a valuable knowledge to implement sound conservation and monitoring programs. The aim of this study was to assess the resistance of pollination networks in coastal dune systems and to test whether pollination interactions have an explicit spatial configuration and whether this affect network resistance. To this aim, we placed six permanent 10 m-wide belt transects. Within each transect we placed five plots of 2 m x 2 m, in order to catch the different plant communities along the dune sequence. We monitored pollination interactions between plants and pollinators every 15 days during the overall flowering season. The resulting networks of pollination interactions showed a relatively low degree of resistance. However, they had a clear spatial configuration, with plant species differently contributing to the resistance of pollination networks occurring non-randomly from the seashore inland. Our results evidenced that beside contributing to the creation and maintenance of dune ridges, thereby protecting inland communities from environmental disturbance, plant species of drift line and shifting dune communities have also a crucial function in conferring resistance to coastal dune pollination networks.

Leptin and its receptor: can they help to differentiate chromophobe renal cell carcinoma from renal oncocytoma?

One of the challenges in differentiating chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) from benign renal oncocytoma (RO) is overlapping morphology between the two subtypes. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of expression of leptin (Ob) and its receptor (ObR) in discriminating chRCC from RO. Sections from paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tumour nephrectomy specimens of 45 patients, made up of 30 chRCC (15 eosinophilic variant and 15 non-eosinophilic variant) and 15 RO, were used in this study. Samples (30) of clear cell RCC (ccRCC), the most common histological subtype, were used to verify staining patterns found by others in our cohort of Australasian patients. Matched morphologically normal non-cancer kidney tissues were included for each specimen. Sections were batch-immunostained using antibodies against Ob and ObR. Stained sections were digitally scanned using Aperio ImageScope, and the expression pattern of Ob and ObR was studied. In this cohort, male to female ratio was 2:1; median age was 64 (45-88 years); and median tumour size was 3.8 cm (range 1.2-18 cm). There were 47 (62.7%) T1, seven T2, 20 T3 and one T4 stage RCC. Two patients with ccRCC presented with metastases. Nuclear expression of Ob was significantly higher in RO compared with chRCC. The increased nuclear expression of Ob in RO compared with chRCC may be a useful aid in the difficult histological differentiation of RO from chRCC, especially eosinophilic variants of chRCC.

PET/CT in cancer research: from preclinical to clinical applications.

The identification of genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying tumor growth and progression along with the unraveling of human genoma provided a plethora of new targets for cancer detection, treatment and monitoring. Simultaneously, the extraordinary development of a number of imaging technologies, including hybrid systems, allowed the visualization of biochemical, molecular and physiological aberrations linked to underlying mutations in a given tumor. In vivo evaluation of complex biological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, gene expression, receptor-ligand interactions, transport of substrates and metabolism of nutrients in human cancers is feasible using PET/CT and radiolabeled molecular probes. Some of these compounds are in preclinical phases of evaluation whereas others have been already applied in clinical settings. Here we provide prominent examples on how some biological processes and target expression can be visualized by PET/CT in animal tumor models and cancer patients for the noninvasive detection of well-known markers of tumor aggressiveness, invasiveness and resistance to treatment and for the evaluation of tumor response to therapy.

Molecular imaging of tumor microenvironment: challenges and perspectives.

Tumor microenvironment consists of a number of components including host resident stromal cells, infiltrating immune cells and extracellular matrix. The architecture surrounding tumor cells is not static but is subjected to a continuous remodeling in response to the dynamic interplay between tumor and stromal cells and to the production of extracellular proteases. In addition all these microenvironmental components along with cancer cells are exposed to abnormal physiologic conditions such as hypoxia and acidic extracellular pH that may induce both adaptive and constitutive changes in cancer and stromal cells. In this review, we will primarily focus on the possibility to visualize in vivo tumor microenvironment components and conditions as well as interactions with cancer cells. The major goal is to highlight the difficulties and the opportunities of this approach and how each imaging technology helps to overcome specific challenge.

Usefulness of [111In-DTPA0] octreotide scintigraphy in a family with von Hippel-Lindau disease.

The identification of patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease dictates accurate genetic counseling of family members, whereas screening for early detection of visceral and neurological involvement is usually performed by a combination of radiological and nuclear medicine techniques such as ultrasonography or contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the upper abdomen, magnetic resonance imaging of the central nervous system and 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine-scintigraphy. The role of 111-indium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid [111In-DTPA0] octreotide scintigraphy in this clinical context has never been investigated. Here, we report imaging findings in a VHL patient and in 3 consecutive family members undergoing clinical and radiological screening that included [111In-DTPA0] octreotide scintigraphy in addition to the above-mentioned procedures. Somatostatin receptor expression was investigated in vitro by immunohistochemistry in pancreatic tumor sections. On the basis of in vivo and in vitro findings, octreotide long-acting release treatment followed by 90Y-1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid (DOTA0)-Tyr3-octreotide led to a lack of progression in this patient although this result is a possibility which needs to be proved by further investigation and longer follow-up. The results of this study suggest that [111In-DTPA0] octreotide scintigraphy may be helpful in the routine work-up of VHL patients for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Nuclear imaging in cancer theranostics.

The combination of a diagnostic test with a therapeutic entity is termed theranostics. The diagnostic test aims at identifying patients who will likely benefit from a specific therapeutic intervention, fail to respond or eventually manifest side effects to a given drug. The appropriate selection of patients for innovative therapies would promote an enrichment of patient population that can potentiate clinical trials and, eventually, accelerate the drug development process. For these reasons, many drug companies adopted a theranostic approach as a new and promising avenue for drug development. From an historical perspective, the concepts underlying the theranostic strategy are well known in nuclear medicine and constituted the basis of many nuclear imaging procedures currently used in clinical practice. Nevertheless the adoption of these concepts by regulatory authorities is a real progress and reflects the remarkable advances in the development of drugs against molecular targets. In this respect, the oncological field provides the strongest evidence of the clinical need to link diagnostics to therapeutics. Here, we review the contribution that non-invasive nuclear imaging may give to cancer theranostics and report prominent examples of nuclear imaging procedures that can be coupled to specific therapies. The main focus lies on imaging procedures that can identify patients who will benefit from molecularly targeted therapy or are going to fail to respond to standard treatment.

Washout of [99mTc] sestamibi in predicting response to chemotherapy in patients with multiple myeloma.

AIM: Technetium-99m 2-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile ([99mTc] MIBI) has been successfully used to study patients with multiple myeloma (MM). This tracer is also a substrate for P-glycoprotein (Pgp). Since Pgp overexpression is one of the primary mechanisms of multidrug resistance in MM, the aim of this study was to test whether [99mTc] MIBI could be an index of Pgp overexpression and function in MM and therefore predicts response to chemotherapy. METHODS: Forty patients with MM (12 in stage I, 15 in stage II, and 13 in stage III) showing diffuse bone marrow [99mTc] MIBI uptake were included in the study. All patients underwent whole body scintigraphy at 10 and 60 minutes after i.v. injection of 555 MBq of [99mTc] MIBI. [99mTc] MIBI washout was measured, after decay correction, as: (10 minute counts/pixel minus 60 minute counts/pixel) divided by 10 minute counts/pixel, computed on a region of interest drawn on the thoracic spine (posterior projection), taking care of avoiding heart and splanchnic organs. Disease restaging was performed at a mean time of 32+/-20 months, and patients were considered to be in remission (complete or partial) or to show disease progression on the basis of a complete clinical and hematological evaluation. RESULTS: Patients showing disease progression at restaging (n=26) had higher washout (19.3+/-9.8% vs 12.8+/-6.9%, p<0.05) than patients in remission (n=14). Disease free survival was significantly better in patients with lower washout of [99mTc] MIBI. No differences in therapeutic regimen and stage of disease at admission were found between the 2 groups. When patients treated with melphalan were excluded from the analysis, 87.5% of patients in remission had low washout. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests a potential role of [99mTc] MIBI washout in predicting response to chemotherapy in patients with MM.

Poorly differentiated small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma localized in three different endocrine glands: response to chemotherapy and octreotide LAR.

Neuroendocrine tumors represent a heterogeneous category of neoplasm, with conflicting diagnostic and therapeutic demands. We here describe the case of a 72-yr-old woman with evidence of a poorly differentiated small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) localized in different endocrine glands and other non-endocrine organs. In particular, a large ovarian mass, multinodular thyroid goiter, right adrenal mass, cystic liver metastases and anterior mediastinum lymph node metastasis were present. The largest thyroid nodule caused tracheal restriction and dyspnea. Diagnosis of poorly differentiated metastasized NEC of unknown origin was made on the basis of histological and immunohistochemical findings, and treatment with etoposide (100 mg/m2 in days 1, 2 and 3) and cisplatinum (45 mg/m2 in days 2 and 3) was initiated. Simultaneously, im administration of octreotide LAR 20 mg every 28 days was started, according to the presence of SS receptors at 111In-octreotide scan. Rapid improvement of dyspnea and a reduction of the largest thyroid nodule, liver metastases and adrenal mass by 50% were observed after 3 months of treatment; the dimensions remained stable thereafter, while the pericardial lymph node disappeared. In conclusion, poorly differentiated NEC of unknown primary site is a well-recognized category, usually with an aggressive behavior, rapid growth rate and wide dissemination. Median survival of these patients is 6 months if left untreated. Our patient is alive 18 months after beginning the treatment, reporting good general condition and quality of life over the whole follow-up period.

Infliximab monotherapy for refractory psoriasis: preliminary results.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha plays an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Infliximab is an anti-TNF-alpha chimeric monoclonal antibody, which is licensed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. Some reports have shown the efficacy of infliximab, either in monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate, for the treatment of psoriatic arthropathy and psoriasis. The efficacy and tolerability of infliximab monotherapy was evaluated in 29 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, unresponsive to conventional treatments. Fourteen patients suffered from concomitant arthropathy. Patients received intravenous infliximab, 5mg/kg, at weeks 0, 2, and 6. After this 3-dose-induction regimen, patients were followed-up at monthly intervals and retreated with a single-dose infusion in case of relapse of signs and symptoms. Clinical assessment was performed using the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) to monitor psoriasis activity; pruritus and joint pain were assessed on a scale of 0 to 3. A marked improvement of skin lesions and subjective symptoms was noted in the majority of patients; an excellent reduction of PASI score (> or =75%) was observed in 13.8% of cases at week 2, 71.4% at week 6 and 78.6% at week 10. During the follow-up period, some patients maintained satisfactory clinical results without requiring any additional infusions. In general, skin lesions showed a trend towards a more prolonged and sustained improvement as compared with subjective symptoms. Treatment was well tolerated and no serious adverse events occurred.

In vitro and in vivo characterization of Indium-111 and Technetium-99m labeled CCK-8 derivatives for CCK-B receptor imaging.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) receptors of the subtype B (CCK-BR) have been shown to be overexpressed in certain neuroendocrine tumors including medullary thyroid cancer. Our recent work has focused on new methods to radiolabel the CCK8 peptide with 111In or 99mTc for CCK-B receptor imaging. Derivatives of CCK8 were obtained by addition at the N-terminus in solid phase of a DTPA derivative (DTPAGlu) linked through a glycine spacer (DTPAGlu-G-CCK8) or cysteine, glycine and a diphenylphosphinopropionyl moiety (PhosGC-CCK8) for labeling with 111In and 99mTc, respectively. CCK-BR overexpressing A431 cancer cell lines were utilized to characterize in vitro properties of the two compounds as well as for generating xenografts in nude mice for in vivo characterization. Both 111In-DTPAGlu-G-CCK8 and 99mTcPhosGC-CCK8 showed similar binding affinities for CCK-BR with dissociation constants of 20-40 nM, were internalized after interaction with the receptor and displayed prolonged cellular retention times. Specific in vivo interaction with the receptor of both CCK8 analogs was observed in our animal model. 111In-DTPAGlu-G-CCK8 showed better target to non-target ratios, although it appeared to be rapidly metabolized after injection and activity cleared through the kidneys. 99mTc-PhosGC-CCK8 was more stable in vivo but showed marked hepatobiliary clearance with resulting high background activity in the bowel. The rapid clearance and lower background obtained with 111In-DTPAGlu-G-CCK8 make this a better candidate for further development.

MIBI as prognostic factor in breast cancer.

Evaluation of treatment response is of primary importance in the management of patients with cancer. Both positron- and g-emitting compounds have been used to monitor changes in tumor metabolism or viability after therapy. The use of (99m)Tc-labeled lipophilic cations raised the possibility to predict the tumor response to treatment and to identify patients who will become refractory to subsequent therapy. In particular, many studies have shown the prognostic value of (99m)Tc-MIBI scan in different types of malignancy including breast and lung cancer, lymphoma and sarcoma. The ability of (99m)Tc-MIBI to interact with P-glycoprotein, allowing the functional assessment of the multidrug resistant phenotype, is one of the mechanisms underlying its prognostic value. Additional mechanisms of cell resistance, mainly involving alterations of apoptosis, may affect (99m)Tc-MIBI uptake in tumors. Therefore, either an enhanced tracer clearance or a reduced early uptake of (99m)Tc-MIBI indicate a poor response to therapy. In both cases, (99m)Tc-MIBI scan may ensure that the further management strategy will be effective in individual cancer patients.

Radiolabeling approaches for cholecystokinin B receptor imaging.

Regulatory peptides and their analogs are being extensively investigated as radiopharmaceuticals for cancer imaging. In particular, cholecystokinin (CCK) receptors of the subtype B (CCK-BR) have been shown to be overexpressed in certain neuroendocrine tumors including medullary thyroid cancer. Our recent work has focused on new methods to radiolabel the CCK8 peptide with (111)In or (99m)Tc for the purpose of developing radiopharmaceuticals for in vivo CCK-B receptor imaging. Labeling of CCK8 with (111)In was achieved at the N-terminus of the peptide by adding, in solid phase, a glutamate coupled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) moiety through a glycine linker, yielding DTPA-Glu-G-CCK8. For labeling with (99m)Tc, the CCK8 peptide was modified at its N-terminus by introducing, in the following order--cysteine, glycine, and a diphenylphosphinopropionyl moiety--giving a 10-residue peptide derivative, Phos-GC-CCK8. A cell culture model was developed for the purpose of evaluating the binding properties of these two ligands. The human epidermoid carcinoma cell line, A431, was transfected with a plasmid containing the full coding sequence of the human CCK-BR under a strong viral promoter, obtaining a number of receptors in the range of 2-5 x 10(6) per cell. Control cells were transfected with vector alone. An animal tumor model utilizing these two cell lines was developed to evaluate the specificity of interaction with the CCK-BR and biodistribution properties of the compounds. CCK-BR positive and control cells were subcutaneously injected in opposite flanks of CD1 female nude mice in order to obtain xenografts differing only in their ability to express CCK-B receptors. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and other chromatographic methods were utilized to assess stability of the radiolabeled compounds after injection. Both (111)In-DTPA-Glu-G-CCK8 and (99m)Tc-Phos-GC-CCK8 showed similar binding affinities for cultured CCK-BR expressing cells, with dissociation constants in the range of 20-40 nM. With the two xenograft approach, we were able to demonstrate specific interaction with the receptor of both CCK analogs in our animal model. The data obtained shows rapid specific localization of both compounds on the CCK-BR overexpressing xenografts. Both tracers show rapid plasma clearance of unbound peptide. Clearance of (111)In-DTPA-Glu-G-CCK8 appears to be preferentially through the kidneys, whereas (99m)Tc-Phos-GC-CCK8 clearance occurs both through kidneys and the hepatobiliary system. Both our labeling approaches appear adequate for clinical use of peptide based radiopharmaceuticals, although (99m)Tc-Phos-GC-CCK8 shows elevated accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract, which causes high background activity.

Predictive value of technetium-99m sestamibi in patients with multiple myeloma and potential role in the follow-up.

Technetium-99m 2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI or setamibi) has recently been proposed for use in the evaluation of multiple myeloma (MM). The aims of this study were to investigate its potential predictive value in patients with MM and its possible role in the follow-up. Thirty patients with MM who had undergone two 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphic studies at least 2 months apart constituted the study group; 22 of them received chemotherapy in the interval between the two scans. The scans were classified as showing pattern N when only physiological uptake was present, pattern D when diffuse bone marrow uptake was observed, pattern F when areas of focal uptake of the tracer were evident, and pattern F + D when both D and F patterns were observed. Comparative 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy was considered indicative of disease progression when there was a worsening of the pattern (i.e. from N to D, or from N or D to F or to F + D) or an increase in the pattern D semiquantitative score. It was considered indicative of disease improvement when the opposite trend was observed; otherwise, it was considered to document a stable condition. A significant association was observed between the baseline scintigraphic pattern and clinical status at follow-up in the group of patients evaluated after chemotherapy (chi 2 = 16.7, P < 0.05). A negative baseline 99mTc-MIBI scintigram showed a high predictive accuracy (100%) for remission, while the presence of pattern F or F + D was often associated with a less favourable outcome. A multivariate analysis showed that 99mTc-MIBI uptake pattern has an added value in relation to known prognostic variables such as C-reactive protein. 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy patterns at follow-up were significantly associated with the clinical status evaluated after chemotherapy (chi 2 = 32.6, P < 0.0001). Considering pattern N as indicating remission, pattern D stable condition, and pattern F or F + D progressive disease, a high concordance between scintigraphic findings and clinical status was found in the 22 patients undergoing chemotherapy (91%). Variation in 99mTc-MIBI findings comparing baseline and follow-up evaluations was significantly associated with clinical status both in patients undergoing chemotherapy (chi 2 = 26.5, P < 0.0005) and in those not undergoing chemotherapy (chi 2 = 8.0, P < 0.005). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest a prognostic value of 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy in patients with MM and a potential role during the follow-up.

Bone marrow uptake of 99mTc-MIBI in patients with multiple myeloma.

In a previous study, we showed the ability of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) scan to identify active disease in patients with multiple myeloma (Eur J Nucl Med 1998; 25: 714-720). In particular, a semiquantitative score of the extension and intensity of bone marrow uptake was derived and correlated with both the clinical status of the disease and plasma cell bone marrow infiltration. In order to estimate quantitatively 99mTc-MIBI bone marrow uptake and to verify the intracellular localization of the tracer, bone marrow samples obtained from 24 multiple myeloma patients, three patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and two healthy donors were studied for in vitro uptake. After centrifugation over Ficoll-Hypaque gradient, cell suspensions were incubated with 99mTc-MIBI and the uptake was expressed as the percentage of radioactivity specifically retained within the cells. The cellular localization of the tracer was assessed by micro-autoradiography. Twenty-two out of 27 patients underwent 99mTc-MIBI scan within a week of bone marrow sampling. Whole-body images were obtained 10 min after intravenous injection of 555 MBq of the tracer; the extension and intensity of 99mTc-MIBI uptake were graded using the semiquantitative score. A statistically significant correlation was found between in vitro uptake of 99mTc-MIBI and both plasma cell infiltration (Pearson's coefficient of correlation r=0.69, P<0.0001) and in vivo score (Spearman rank correlation coefficient r=0.60, P<0.01). No specific tracer uptake was found in bone marrow samples obtained from the two healthy donors. Micro-autoradiography showed localization of 99mTc-MIBI inside the plasma cells infiltrating the bone marrow. Therefore, our findings show that the degree of tracer uptake both in vitro and in vivo is related to the percentage of infiltrating plasma cells which accumulate the tracer in their inner compartments.

Scintimammography with 99mTc-MIBI versus dynamic MRI for non-invasive characterization of breast masses.

Although mammography remains the technique of choice for the early detection of breast cancer, several imaging techniques, including scintimammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have recently been proposed as adjuncts for this purpose and included in many diagnostic protocols. This study was undertaken to assess the clinical accuracy of scintimammography with technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) and contrast-enhanced MRI in the detection of primary breast carcinoma in patients with equivocal mammographic findings. Forty-nine patients with a suspicious breast mass detected either by physical examination or by mammography and ultrasound (US) were studied. All patients underwent scintimammography and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI 1 week apart. The results of the two techniques were compared and correlated to the final diagnoses. Two independent readers reported the scans using a four-point confidence scale. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained. Scintimammography showed an accuracy for tumour detection of 84%, with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 88%. MRI showed an accuracy of 86%, with a sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 75%, respectively. Comparison of the two areas under the ROC curves showed no significant differences between MRI, 0.91+/-0.05 (mean+/-SD), and scintimammography, 0.88+/-0.05 (P=0.9). It is concluded that dynamic MRI and scintimammography possess comparable accuracy in the diagnosis of primary breast carcinoma in patients with equivocal mammographic or US findings.