Comparison of the detecting capability between I-mIBG and post-therapeutic I-mIBG scintigraphy for curie scoring in patients with neuroblastoma after chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the detecting capability between planar imaging (PI) and PI combined with single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (PICWS), including I- and I-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) and to compare the detecting capability between I-mIBG and post-therapeutic I-mIBG scintigraphy including PI and PICWS for Curie scoring in patients with neuroblastoma.

METHODS

Sixty-two patients with 66 pairs of complete images with neuroblastoma were enrolled in this retrospective study.

RESULTS

Comparing the Curie scoring between I-mIBG PI and PICWS and between post-therapeutic I-mIBG PI and PICWS, findings were concordantly negative in 28.79% and 18.18% of studies, concordantly positive in 66.67% and 74.24% of studies, and discordant in 4.54% and 7.58% of studies, respectively. PICWS was superior to PI including I- and I-mIBG in the evaluation of Curie scoring for neuroblastoma patients (both P < 0.001). Comparing the Curie scores between I- and post-therapeutic I-mIBG PI and between I- and post-therapeutic I-mIBG PICWS, concordantly negative imaging was visualized in 22.73% and 19.70% of studies, concordantly positive imaging in 66.67% and 69.70% of studies, and discordant imaging in 10.60% and 10.60% of studies, respectively. Post-therapeutic I-mIBG was significantly better than that of I-mIBG scintigraphy including PI and PICWS in detecting the Curie scoring for neuroblastoma patients (both P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrates that I- or I-mIBG PICWS are more helpful in the evaluation of Curie scores than that of conventional PI and that post-therapeutic I-mIBG is superior to I-mIBG scintigraphy for the detecting capability of Curie scoring in patients with neuroblastoma.