[Clinical application of 99mTc-HL91 hypoxia imaging in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
Tumor hypoxia is an important biologic feature of malignancies, which affects their response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. There is still no reliable and convenient way in clinic to detect the hypoxia of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study was to explore the clinical application value of (99m)Tc-HL91 hypoxia imaging in NPC.


METHODS
A total of 38 NPC patients were included. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan of the head and neck was performed 3.5 h after intravenous injection of 925 MBq (99m)Tc-HL91. The images were qualified visually and processed with semi-quantitative analysis. The nasopharynx (NP) lesions with radioactivity higher than that of normal NP tissue background (N) were identified as hypoxia positive. Region of interesting (ROI) technique was used to determine the positive imaging interested region (T+) and the negative imaging interested region (T-) in the same NP lesion for all positive cases. T+ -to-normal NP tissue background (T+/N) ratio and T- -to-normal NP tissue background (T-/N) ratio were measured. The correlation of T+/N ratio to tumor volume was analyzed.


RESULTS
Of the 38 NPC patients, 32 (84.21%) were hypoxia-positive, with the T+/N ratio significantly higher than the T-/N ratio (1.54+/-0.44 vs. 1.08+/-0.19, P <0.001). The T+/N ratio was positively correlated to tumor volumes (r=0.788, P <0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
(99m)Tc-HL91 is a convenient hypoxia imaging agent, and has potential clinical value in NPC hypoxia imaging and confirming target area for radiotherapy.
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, P. R. China.
Ying-Jie
YJ
Zheng
Wei
W
Fan
Chong
C
Zhao
Xiao-Chun
XC
Yang
Nian-Ji
NJ
Cui
Fu-Jin
FJ
Chen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; C105527:technetium Tc 99m 4,9-diaza-3,3,10,10-tetramethyldodecan-2,11-dione dioxime