Evaluation of patients with head and neck cancer by means of 99mTc-glucarate.
Preliminary findings have suggested that (99m)Tc-glucarate has tumor-seeking properties. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of this tracer to evaluate malignant head and neck tumors by means of SPECT/CT software fusion imaging.


METHODS
Eleven male patients with advanced head and neck carcinoma were included in the study: 9 with locally advanced disease and 2 with clinical suspicion of local relapse. Scanning started 3-6 h after the injection of 1,110 MBq of (99m)Tc-glucarate. Planar and SPECT images of the head, neck, and thorax were acquired. Three-dimensional images were also coregistered with CT.


RESULTS
We found (99m)Tc-glucarate uptake in all suspected lesions. SPECT/CT fusion imaging was helpful in all cases for topographically localizing the tracer foci.


CONCLUSIONS
(99m)Tc-glucarate can be considered a potential tracer for the evaluation of patients with head and neck tumors.
Gambini
Juan P
JP
Nuclear Medicine Center, Clinical Hospital, University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Nuñez
Margarita
M
Cabral
Pablo
P
Lafferranderie
Martín
M
Noble
Javier
J
Corchs
Eduardo
E
D'Albora
Ricardo
R
Savio
Eduardo
E
Delgado
Lucía
L
Alonso
Omar
O
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005937:Glucaric Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; C067171:technetium Tc 99m glucarate; D005937:Glucaric Acid