Abstract
Although thallium-201 (201Tl) uptake is related to perfusion in many normal tissues, the biologic rationale for201Tl uptake in tumors is uncertain. To determine if tumor uptake is related to cell proliferation, we correlated the relative retention of201Tl in lung tumors with expression of Ki-67, an indicator of cell proliferation.Methods: Sixty patients with lung tumors, included small cell carcinoma (n=8) and non-small cell carcinoma (n=52), underwent201Tl single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. The201Tl lesion uptake was determined on early and delayed images and the radiotracer retention index (RI) was calculated. Tumor specimens were obtained at surgery or bronchoscopy. The cell proliferation ratio was estimated with MIB-1, a monoclonal antibody that recognized the nuclear antigen Ki-67.Results: The average201Tl index was 2.13±0.61 (early) and 2.46±0.83 (delayed). The average RI was 17.44±35.01. Overall, the201Tl index (delayed) and the cancer cell proliferation were correlated (r=0.70, p<0.0001). Of interest, there was a significant correlation (r=0.872, p<0.0005) between the201Tl index on delayed images and the cell proliferation ratio in patients with small cell but not non-small cell lung carcinoma. The201Tl index (delayed) was significantly higher (p<0.0001) in patients with small cell lung carcinoma than in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma.Conclusion:201Tl imaging appears to be useful for evaluating patients with small cell lung carcinoma but not non-small lung carcinoma, and is correlated with the monoclonal antibody MIB-1, a marker of cell proliferation.
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Ishibashi, M., Fujii, T., Yamana, H. et al. Relationship between cancer cell proliferation and thallium-201 uptake in lung cancer. Ann Nucl Med 14, 255–261 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02988207
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02988207