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March 19th, 2007

Milestones in Molecular Imaging

Abstract:
Accurate imaging assessment of the lymph nodes is important in staging and restaging cancer, which in turn can significantly affect clinical management. Researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, evaluated lymphotropic magnetic nanoparticles (Combidex, Advanced Magnetics) to identify lymph node metastatic involvement in 18 men with a history of prostate cancer and a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level who were candidates for salvage radiation therapy.[13] Mean PSA was 0.96 ng/mL (0.3-3.7). Two patients (11%) experienced adverse reactions (grade 1 allergic reaction) after injection of the magnetic nanoparticles. The MR images showed variable locations of suspicious nodes. Long-term validation data are currently pending for these MR findings. Another preliminary report from the same laboratory evaluated the signal-intensity characteristics of the prostate gland with ultrasmall supraparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO)-enhanced MRI.[14] Sixty-nine patients participated in this study. It was noted that there was a trend for a higher uptake level in the central zone of the prostate gland than in the peripheral zone of the gland. The investigators are now assessing the utility of this observed differential gland uptake in correlation to the sites and pathologic grades of the primary prostate tumors.

Source:
medscape.com

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