technetium-tc-99m-sulfur-colloid and Hemangiosarcoma

Although benign vascular tumors of the liver are extremely common (hemangioma is the most common), malignant vascular tumors of the liver are very rare. In the adult, these tumors are angiosarcoma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, and Kaposi sarcoma. All hepatic malignant vascular tumors share histologic characteristics, grow around and into vessels, and are grossly multifocal. They may be misdiagnosed histologically, particularly if only a biopsy sample is available. Although imaging findings are often non-specific, some features are suggestive or even characteristic of these neoplasms. Such features include previous exposure to thorium dioxide (Thorotrast) in cases of angiosarcoma, coalescence of multiple nodules into large peripheral masses in epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, and association between acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and cutaneous involvement in Kaposi sarcoma. Because hepatic malignant vascular tumors are often multiple, the main differential diagnosis is metastatic disease. There is no effective treatment for these tumors, and although survival time is variable, the prognosis is generally unfavorable.

Topics: Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid; Hemangiosarcoma; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue; Sarcoma, Kaposi; Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Thirteen patients with a history of confirmed liver carcinoma were given either I131 goat polyclonal or murine monoclonal antibodies against alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and then scanned with a gamma camera. In order to reduce background, nontarget activity, especially in the liver, blood pool, and reticuloendothelial system, 99mTc imaging agents were used for tumor image enhancement by computer-assisted subtraction. A sensitivity of 91% for the primary site, 50% for the lungs (33% for the chest area), and 75% for the abdomen and pelvis was achieved, with a specificity of 100%, 94%, and 100% for these sites, respectively. The accuracy was determined to be 93% for the liver, 86% for the lungs (77% for the chest), and 85% for the abdominal and pelvic area, resulting in an overall accuracy rate for imaging primary and metastatic hepatocellular cancer of 84% (90% if bone metastases are excluded). In two of the 13 patients, lesions that had been missed by conventional liver scintigraphy and transmission computed tomography (CT) were first shown by radioimmunodetection (RAID).

Topics: Abdominal Neoplasms; Adult; alpha-Fetoproteins; Antibodies; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Child, Preschool; Female; Hemangiosarcoma; Humans; Image Enhancement; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Pelvic Neoplasms; Radionuclide Imaging; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; Thoracic Neoplasms

Topics: Aged; Colloids; Gallium Radioisotopes; Hemangiosarcoma; Humans; Liver; Liver Neoplasms; Male; Radionuclide Imaging; Sulfur; Technetium; Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid