The quarterly journal of nuclear medicine : official publication of the Italian Association of Nuclear Medicine (AIMN) [and] the International Association of Radiopharmacology (IAR)
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Review Comparative Study
Evaluation of treatment response in patients with lymphoma using [18F]FDG-PET: differences between non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease.
Fluorine-18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG-PET) has become a very useful technique for the therapy monitoring of patients with lymphoma. It provides unique information about the metabolic behavior of the disease independent of morphological criteria. In recent years, [18F]FDG-PET has proven to be a technique with high sensitivity for the detection of residual tumor. ⋯ However, most recent published studies included both HD and NHL, although [18F]FDG-PET scan results in Hodgkin's disease (HD) has a different impact than in Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). In this paper, we summarize our findings on the role of [18F]FDG-PET in the therapy evaluation of lymphoma patients in a large group of patients and highlight the differences between the interpretations of the results of HD and NHL patients. Finally, a strategy for the implementation of [18F]FDG-PET in the management of lymphoma patients is proposed.
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The high level expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) on various tumor cells has provided the molecular basis for successful use of radiolabeled octreotide/lanreotide analogs as tumor tracers in nuclear medicine. The vast majority of human tumors seem to overexpress the one or the other of five distinct hSSTR sub-type receptors. Whereas neuroendocrine tumors frequently overexpress hSSTR2, intestinal adenocarcinomas seem to over-express more often hSSTR3 or hSSTR4, or both of these hSSTR. ⋯ In conclusion, several radioligands have been implemented on the basis of peptide receptor recognition throughout the last decade. A plentitude of preclinical data and clinical studies confirm "proof-of-principle" for their use in diagnosis as well as therapy of cancer patients. However, an optimal radiopeptide formulation does not yet exist for receptor-targeted radionuclide therapy.
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Neuroendocrine gastroenteropancreatic tumors are rather rare neoplasms with an incidence of 1-2 cases per 100,000 people. They show rather varying tumor biology and present sometimes distinct clinical symptoms such as flushing, diarrhoea, hypoglycemia and gastric ulcers. The biochemical diagnosis is today significantly improved by the introduction of chromogranin A as a general tumor marker, which is also useful in histopathology. ⋯ Somatostatin analogues will always be combined with the other two alternatives to reduce clinical symptoms. Chemotherapy is particularly useful for patients with more aggressive tumors with high proliferation capacity, whereas alpha interferon is beneficial in classical midgut carcinoids with low proliferation capacity. Quite recently somatostatin based radioactive tumor targeted treatment has evolved with preliminary promising data but further studies are needed to deliniate its future role in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors in patients.
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In vitro data have demonstrated a high amount of receptors for various hormones and peptides on malignant cells of neuroendocrine origin. Among these, binding sites for members of the SST-family (hSSTR1-5) are frequently found, and their expression has led to therapeutic and diagnostic attempts to specifically target these receptors. Receptor scintigraphy using radiolabeled peptide ligands has proven its effectiveness in clinical practice. ⋯ This new therapy could offer palliation and disease control at a reduced cost. The final peptide therapy strategy is most probably cheaper than conventional radiotherapies or prolonged chemotherapies. Overall, receptor-mediated radiotherapy with 90Y-DOTA-lanreotide/90Y-DOTA-DPhe1-Tyr3-octre otide might also be effective in patients refractory to conventional strategies.
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The aim of radioimmunotherapy in treating solid tumors is to target tumor sites while sparing normal tissues. This can best be achieved by using a monoclonal antibody (MAb) with high tumor uptake and rapid clearance. Because MAbs are basic, positively charged proteins, and mammalian cells are negatively charged, the electrostatic interactions between the two can create higher levels of background binding resulting in low tumor to normal organ ratios. ⋯ Several groups have reported on the effects of chemical modification using molecules such as dextran, PEG, lactose and biotin. Some of these modified MAbs retain the antigen binding specificity of the parent molecule and have improved clearance characteristics from blood and other organs. Hence, these methods can be used to improve both the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of MAbs by improving the signal to noise ratio and the absolute tumor accretion of MAb, respectively.