Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Institute (WIA), Chennai - 600020
*Correspondence address: Dr. R. KrishnaKumar, M.D., DRM, Professor & Head, Department of Nuclear Medicine Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, Chennai – 600 020, India. Phone: 091 – 044 – 22350131, 22350241, Fax: 091-044-24912085, E-mail: krishmanju12@yahoo.com
Scintigraphic evaluation of lymphomas with Gallium 67 (Ga-67) pre & post–therapy is well-established procedure. Other agents employed include 18Fluoro Deoxy Glucose (FDG) and Thallium chloride (Tl201). However Ga-67, 18FDG and Tl-201 are all cyclotron produced and are not readily available in developing countries like India. In this context assuming similarity of behavior with the myocardial perfusion scanning agent Tl-201, the newer Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) labeled myocardial perfusion scanning agents have been studied in imaging of various tumors.
13 patients of lymphoma –Hodgkin's disease (HD) and Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) in various stages were studied. Tc-99m Tetrofosmin (Tf) (Myoview-source Nycomed Amersham Pic, England was injected intravenously and static images of the involved site were taken at 5 minutes, one hour and again at 24 hours. Static images of the skull, chest, axillae, abdomen and pelvis were acquired at 30 minutes. Subsequently 5 patients were studied with Ga-67. The images were compared.
The total number of clinically involved sites in 13 patients were 75 and 99mTc-Tf uptake was seen in 16 sites only (20%). Of the 5 patients who had both the studies the total number of clinically involved sites were 25. 99mTc-Tf uptake was seen in 8 sites whereas Ga-67 uptake was seen in 11 sites (44%). 99mTc-Tf uptake in abdominal sites was masked by hepatobiliary excretion
Ga-67 is superior to 99mTc-Tf in imaging lymphoma.
Tc-99m 99mTf, Gallium-67, Lymphoma, Comparison
