Uptake Of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin In Lymphoma Cell Lines: A Comparative Study With Tc-99m Sestamibi

Technetium-99m (Tc-99m) tetrofosmin has been used as a tumor-seeking agent. However, its role in detecting lymphomas has not been widely investigated. The aim of the present study was to determine the uptake and clearance characteristics of Tc-99m tetrofosmin in lymphoma cell lines. Tc-99m sestamibi was also evaluated for comparison. Three lymphoma cell lines (U-937: monocyte-like, histiocytic lymphoma, human, RAMOS: B-lymphoma cell line, American Burkitt lymphoma, lymphoblastoid, human, Hs445: Hodgkin's disease, lymphoid, human) were studied. After incubation of radiotracers Tc-99m tetrofosmin and Tc-99m sestamibi in medium for 0, 10, 20, 30, 60, 120 and 180 min, the uptake and clearance of each radiotracer were measured in the three lymphoma cell lines. The uptake of Tc-99m tetrofosmin was lower than that of Tc-99m sestamibi in these lymphoma cell lines. Among the three cell lines, Hs445 showed the greatest Tc-99m tetrofosmin uptake capacity. RAMOS and U-937 showed similar Tc-99m tetrofosmin uptake capacities. Tc-99m tetrofosmin accumulated in the three tested lymphoma cell lines, especially in the Hodgkin's disease cell line. However, in comparison with Tc-99m sestamibi, Tc-99m tetrofosmin may not be the best radiotracer for detection of lymphoma. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.