title: Neuroblastoma: MIBG Imaging and New Tracers.
abstract: Neuroblastoma is an embryonic tumor of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system, and is metastatic or otherwise high risk for relapse in nearly 50% of cases, with a long-term survival of <40%. Therefore, exact staging with radiological and nuclear medicine imaging methods is crucial for finding the adequate therapeutic choice. The tumor cells express the norepinephrine transporter, which makes metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), an analogue of norepinephrine, an ideal tumor-specific agent for imaging. On the contrary, MIBG imaging has several disadvantages such as limited spatial resolution, limited sensitivity in small lesions, need for two or even more acquisition sessions, and a delay between the start of the examination and result. Most of these limitations can be overcome with positron emission tomography (PET) using different radiotracers. Furthermore, for operative or biopsy planning, a combination with morphological imaging methods is indispensable. This article would discuss the therapeutic strategy for primary and follow-up diagnosis in neuroblastoma using MIBG scintigraphy and different new PET tracers as well as multimodality imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany. Electronic address: Thomas.Pfluger@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pfluger
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, Galliera Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Arnoldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piccardo
mesh_terms: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine