Localization of small-cell lung cancer xenografts with iodine-125-, indium-111-, and rhenium-188-somatostatin analogs.

We examined the potential of radiolabeled somatostatin analogs, 125I-Tyr-3-octreotide (125I-octreotide), (111)In-DTPA(diethylenetriaminepentaacetatic acid)-D-Phe-1-octreotide (111In-octreotide), and 188Re-octreotide for targeting small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a mouse model. Tyr-3-octreotide was labeled with 125I by the chloramine T method, and (111)In-octreotide was obtained as a kit, while 188Re was eluted from a 188W/188Re generator, and octreotide was directly labeled with 188Re by reducing disulfide bonds. The 125I-, 111In-, and 188Re-octreotides were injected i.v. into athymic mice bearing NCI-H69 tumors, and the biodistributions were determined at 15 min, and 2, 4, 8, and 24 h. Tumor uptakes were 0.5+/-0.2, 0.3+/-0.1, 0.3+/-0.1 %ID/g, and tumor-to-blood ratios were 1.8, 11.9, 1.2 at 8 h for 125I-, 111In-, and 188Re-octreotides, respectively. Accumulations of 111In-octreotide in normal tissues were lower than those of 125I- and 188Re-octreotides. 188Re-octreotide can be used to localize SCLC lesions as efficiently as radioiodinated octreotide. However, 111In-octreotide was the most suitable agent to obtain high tumor-to-normal tissue contrast for localizing SCLC.