New agent proves its value in breast scintigraphy scans

Breast scintigraphy with technetium-99m NC100692 is safe and effective and could be used to monitor cancer treatment response, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute of Stockholm and the Norwegian Radiumhospital in Oslo tested Tc-99m NC100692 in a study of 16 patients with suspicious mammograms and four patients with benign breast lesions 6 mm or larger. Imaging with the new agent detected 19 of 22 malignant lesions.

No serious adverse events were encountered with the new agent, though mild side effects occurred in five patients. Tc-99m sestamibi has been used in the past to support mammography, but its sensitivity never went beyond 50% for lesions smaller than 12 mm. Tc-99m NC100692 showed 100% sensitivity for lesions 10 mm or larger.