title: Radioimmunoscintigraphy of pancreatic cancer in tumor-bearing athymic nude mice using (99m)technetium-labeled anti-KL-6/MUC1 antibody.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  KL-6 is an extracellular epitope of MUC1, a membrane-penetrating glycoprotein, and its overexpression has been reported in pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to examine whether radiolabeled anti-KL-6/MUC1 antibody could be used for molecular imaging of pancreatic cancer in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anti-KL-6/MUC1 antibody was labeled with 99mTC by the stannous reduction method. Immunoreactivity of the 99mTc-labeled anti-KL-6/MUC1 antibody was evaluated by a whole-cell binding study. In vivo experiments were performed by injecting the 99mTc-labeled anti-KL-6/MUC1 antibody into athymic nude mice bearing the KP-1NL pancreatic cancer cell line.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A whole-cell binding study showed that the radiolabeled antibody retained its immunoreactivity. On scintigrams, the density of the tumors remained unchanged during the 16-32 h after injection, whereas that of the kidneys decreased time-dependently. The radioactivity levels of the kidneys and tumors were measured densitometrically, and we found that the intensity in the tumors relative to that in the kidneys increased time-dependently. Radioactivity levels were the highest in the blood 32 h after injection, and those in the liver, kidney, lung, and tumor were also rather high.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  99mTc-labeled anti-KL-6/MUC1 antibody appears to be a promising agent as a tumor-specific radiotracer for pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Hasama-machi, Yufu 879-5593, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Niki
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Masahisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takuma
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hongo
authors.forename: Shunro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000276:immunology*; D016719:Radioimmunodetection / Q000379:methods*; D013667:Technetium; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D013667:Technetium