title: Relation between (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin thyroid scintigraphy and mitogen-activated protein kinase in papillary thyroid cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin uptake and extracellular signal-regulated kinase mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK MAPK) expression in papillary thyroid cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study population consisted of 14 patients. The histopathological findings for all patients were confirmed by surgery. Patients were administ 740 MBq of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin. The tumor/background (T/B) ratios in regions of interest (ROIs) were measured at 10 min, 1 h, and 3 h to determine the uptake by papillary cancer. Immunohistopathological staining was performed, and the expression of phospho-ERK MAPK in papillary cancer was investigated. The relation between the expression of phospho-ERK MAPK and the T/B ratio was examined using the Mann-Whitney U-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin uptake was positive in all patients. There was a statistically significant relation between the T/B ratio (at 3 h) and the expression of phospho-ERK MAPK but not with the T/B ratio at 10 min or 1 h: T/B ratio at 10 min (P = 0.32), at 1 h (P = 0.62), and at 3 h (P = 0.0072).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the relation between (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin uptake (3 h T/B ratio) may lead us to assume cell proliferation of papillary cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine, PET Center, Department of Radiology, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume 830-0011, Japan. kenkichi@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kenkichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Hayato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaida
authors.forename: Teruhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hiromatsu
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kage
authors.forename: Naofumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayabuchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002277:Carcinoma; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy
chemical_list: D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C078700:technetium tc-99m tetrofosmin; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases