Technetium-99m-tetrofosmin scintigraphy in the prediction of chemotherapy response of untreated malignant lymphomas and comparison with other prognostic factors.

The aim of this study was to retrospectively predict the chemotherapy response of untreated malignant lymphomas using technetium-99m tetrofosmin (Tc-TF) scintigraphy and to compare the technique with other prognostic factors. In this study, before any chemotherapy, 25 patients with malignant lymphomas (ML) underwent Tc-TF scintigraphy. Scintigraphy was performed 10 minutes after intravenous injection of 20 mCi Tc-TF to calculate the tumor-to-normal (T/N) uptake ratio. In the first 1-2 years after complete chemotherapy, the response was evaluated by clinical and radiological methods. Compared with the 10 ML patients with poor chemotherapy response, the 15 ML patients with good response had a significantly higher mean T/N uptake ratio (3.23 +/- 0.56) versus 1.18 +/- 0.11). All of the 15 patients with good response had positive scintigraphic results whilst the 10 patients with poor response had negative scintigraphic results. When compared with other prognostic factors, Tc-TF scintigraphy was the tool to predict the chemotherapy response of ML patients.