technetium-tc-99m-depreotide and Adenocarcinoma

A 63-year-old woman with previously treated stage I lung cancer was reexamined 5 years later for recurrence. A conventional work-up using computed tomographic scanning and transbronchial biopsy showed nothing abnormal. A Tc-99m depreotide scan, however, led to a noninvasive diagnosis of lung cancer recurrence with metastases, and it directed a noninvasive tissue diagnosis.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Bone Neoplasms; Female; Humans; Leg; Lung Neoplasms; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Organotechnetium Compounds; Radionuclide Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Scapula; Soft Tissue Neoplasms; Somatostatin; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; Thoracic Vertebrae; Whole-Body Counting

A 76-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a smoking history had a 2-cm solitary pulmonary nodule that was likely to be malignant. He underwent Tc-99m-labeled somatostatin receptor-binding peptide SPECT. A computed tomographic-guided transthoracic needle biopsy performed before the SPECT was nondiagnostic. SPECT showed increased uptake of the tracer by the nodule, which was subsequently found to be adenocarcinoma by surgical resection. Differentiation of malignant from benign nodules by Tc-99m-labeled somatostatin imaging may be a reasonable approach in patients at high risk for cancer and concurrently at increased risk for complications from invasive diagnostic procedures or surgical resection.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Aged; Fatal Outcome; Heart; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Organotechnetium Compounds; Radiopharmaceuticals; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule; Somatostatin; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon