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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

Published in:

01-06-2004

^99mTc-MIBI in the evaluation of breast cancer biology

Authors: Silvana Del Vecchio, Marco Salvatore

Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | Special Issue 1/2004

Abstract

A major area of interest in nuclear medicine is the scintigraphic in vivo evaluation of complex cellular processes involved in tumour growth, progression and response to treatment with the aim of defining the biological properties that may orient clinicians towards different adjustments of therapy in individual patients. In the last decade, ^99mTc-labelled lipophilic cations emerged as suitable tools to trace specific cellular processes and functions in a variety of malignant tumours, including breast cancer. Among these agents, ^99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) is the most widely evaluated tracer and may serve as a paradigm for this class of compounds. Many clinical studies have been performed to correlate ^99mTc-MIBI uptake or clearance with histological, molecular and biochemical markers of various cellular processes, including apoptosis, proliferation, P-glycoprotein expression and neoangiogenesis. The final picture emerging from these studies is that the early tracer uptake reflects the mitochondrial status, which is affected by both apoptosis and proliferation, whereas the tracer clearance reflects the activity of drug transporters such as P-glycoprotein. On the basis of the imaging parameter chosen for the analysis of ^99mTc-MIBI scan in breast cancer patients, the biological information provided may be related to different cellular processes that ultimately govern tumour response to treatment.

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Title: 99mTc-MIBI in the evaluation of breast cancer biology
Authors: Silvana Del Vecchio
Marco Salvatore
Publication date: 01-06-2004
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging / Issue Special Issue 1/2004
Print ISSN: 1619-7070
Electronic ISSN: 1619-7089
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-004-1530-0

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

^99mTc-MIBI in the evaluation of breast cancer biology

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

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Abstract

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