Accumulation of leucocytes labelled with technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime in malignant abdominal tumours.

A total of 343 leucocyte scans labelled with technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime were reviewed that had been performed in 338 patients suspected of having abdominal infection or inflammation. There was uptake by malignant abdominal tumours in 10 cases (2.9%), which represents 62.5% of known malignancies at the time of the scintigram. Accumulation was seen in 8 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon associated with a secondary infection in the tumour or pericolic inflammation. A large tumour that had spread beyond the bowel wall was related to a positive scintigram. Accumulation was also found twice in a malignant fibrous histiocytoma in which bleeding and an inflammatory reaction to necrosis were probably responsible for the uptake. The relevant treatment was delayed for 2 weeks-2 months in 4 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon in whom the positive uptake was regarded as confirmation of the clinically suspected acute diverticulitis.