technetium-tc-99m-tetrofosmin and Skin-Neoplasms

We investigated (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy in 27 patients with Kaposi's sarcoma: 20 had classic (CK), 5 AIDS-associated (AK) and 2 transplantation-associated (TK) variants. Twenty-three patients had clinically evident cutaneous and/or mucosal lesions, 9 of them with associated sarcomatous lymphadenopathy; 2 TK patients had only lymph nodes or other extracutaneous Kaposi sites. Both planar and SPECT (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin scintigraphies were performed in all cases and neck pinhole (P)-SPECT in selected patients. (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin uptake was observed in 88% of patients with clinically evident cutaneous and/or extracutaneous Kaposi lesions. Scintigraphy gave additional information on cutaneous lesion extent, particularly SPECT regarding deep invasion and subclinical sites in some cases. However, scintigraphy was less sensitive in the detection of small, isolated and scattered lesions. SPECT/P-SPECT were positive in 8/8 patients with sarcomatous lymph nodes, planar imaging in 5/8, ultrasonography in 7/8, while all procedures were negative in 6 other patients with reactive or HIV infection lymph nodes. SPECT demonstrated lymphadenopathy remission in 1 TK patient after immunosuppressive therapy modification and, like planar imaging, ascertained an associated lymphoma with (67)Ga-citrate combined. (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy, especially SPECT, can be useful both in the detection and staging of Kaposi sarcoma lesions as a complementary tool to clinical and other conventional diagnostic methods.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Citrates; Duodenal Neoplasms; Female; Gallium; Humans; Lymph Nodes; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Organophosphorus Compounds; Organotechnetium Compounds; Predictive Value of Tests; Radiopharmaceuticals; Sarcoma, Kaposi; Sensitivity and Specificity; Skin Neoplasms; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Tonsillar Neoplasms

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Chemotherapy, Cancer, Regional Perfusion; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Hyperthermia, Induced; Leg; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Melanoma; Middle Aged; Organophosphorus Compounds; Organotechnetium Compounds; Radionuclide Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Skin Neoplasms; Treatment Outcome

Two cases of malignant melanoma (primary and metastatic lesions) imaged with Tc-99m tetrofosmin are reported. One patient showed intense uptake in a primary skin lesion of the thorax, and the other patient had accumulation in skin, cerebellum, breast, and lymph node metastases. Like Tc-99m MIBI, Tc-99m tetrofosmin imaging may be of clinical relevance in the evaluation of suspicious skin lesions and in patients with known cutaneous malignant melanoma in the assessment of recurrent disease during follow-up evaluation.

Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Melanoma; Middle Aged; Organophosphorus Compounds; Organotechnetium Compounds; Radionuclide Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Skin Neoplasms