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The Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2013 December;57(4):401-11
Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
language: English
Radioguided occult lesion localization of cervical recurrences from differentiated thyroid cancer: technical feasibility and clinical results
Borsò E. 1, Grosso M. 1, Boni G. 1, Manca G. 1, Bianchi P. 2, Puccini M. 3, Arganini M. 4, Cabria M. 2, Piccardo A. 2, Arlandini A. 5, Orlandini C. 6, Mariani G. 1 ✉
1 Regional Center of Nuclear Medicine University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; 2 Nuclear Medicine Division “Galliera” Hospital, Genoa, Italy; 3 Department of Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; 4 Division of Surgery, “Versilia” Hospital Lido di Camaiore, Venice, Italy; 5 Division of Surgery, “Galliera” Hospital, Genoa, Italy; 6 Division of Medical Oncology University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Aim: We explored the feasibility of radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) for radioiodine-negative cervical recurrences from differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).
Methods: The procedure was performed in 32 patients (3 patients being operated twice); 15/32 patients had had multiple prior lymph node dissections (“hostile” anatomy). 99mTc-albumin macro-aggregates (99mTc-MAA) were injected intra-lesionally under ultrasound guidance; 2 to 18 hours later, a hand-held gamma-probe helped to localize the lesions intraoperatively and to ascertain removal of the radiolabeled lesions. Mini-invasive excision of the radiolabelled lesions was performed in 12 cases (m-ROLL), while a modified radical neck dissection was performed in 23 cases after radioguided lymphadenectomy (d-ROLL). Fifty-nine lesions were radiolabelled (mean size 11±4.5 mm).
Results: Radioguidance allowed to identify/remove 56/59 lesions (95%). Some leakage of 99mTc-MAA in the surrounding tissues hampered detection of 3 lesions, which were removed anyway (100% overall localization). Histopathology confirmed metastatic involvement of the radiolabeled lesions and some additional metastases in other nodes. Neither nerve injury nor hypoparathyroidism occurred. After a median follow-up of 29 months, 19 patients were disease-free, 12 patients developed loco-regional recurrences, 1 patient had distant metastases and 1 patient had both loco-regional and distant metastases. Recurrences rates were 33% for m-ROLL and 40% for d-ROLL.
Conclusions: The ROLL technique is feasible in selected patients with loco-regional recurrence from DTC, proving to be particularly useful also in patients already submitted to cervical dissections and/or with small lesions located in surgically difficult sites. It can therefore have a clinical role in the management of cervical DTC recurrences.