Preliminary study of cardiac accumulation of F-18 fluorotamoxifen in patients with breast cancer.
The clinical meaning of cardiac uptake of [18F]fluorotamoxifen was assessed. Tamoxifen, a nonsteroidal antiestrogenic drug for treatment and prevention of breast cancer, has a cardioprotective, estrogen-like effect in postmenopausal women. We conducted a pilot study of [18F]fluorotamoxifen to evaluate its clinical usefulness in patients with breast cancer. Significant cardiac uptake of [18F]fluorotamoxifen in five patients was found in the pilot study. We performed positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]fluorotamoxifen. The intracardiac distribution of [18F]fluorotamoxifen was observed and compared with the patients' clinical symptoms, past history, and results of the electrocardiogram (ECG). None of the patients had a prior history of ischemic heart disease. Various patterns of [18F]fluorotamoxifen distribution were seen in the heart: one patient showed homogeneous distribution; two had defects in the lateral wall; one had patchy distribution; and in one the uptake was questionable. Non-uniform cardiac uptake may be related to myocardial damage. Cardiac uptake of tamoxifen suggests that its cardioprotective benefits may be related not only to serum cholesterol reduction but also to a direct cardioprotective action. Further experimental studies are required to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanism of cardiac uptake of [18F]fluorotamoxifen.
Inoue
T
T
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
Kim
E E
EE
Wallace
S
S
Yang
D J
DJ
Wong
F C
FC
Bassa
P
P
Buzdar
A U
AU
Podoloff
D A
DA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D013629:Tamoxifen