The detection of nasopharynx carcinoma in technetium-99m (V) dimercaptosuccinic acid SPECT imaging

Twenty-seven patients (24 men, 3 women; ages: 39-74 years) were diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx (NPC) as confirmed by pathologic findings of biopsies. In addition, three of the 27 patients had metastases to neck lymph nodes. The results of 2-4-hour SPECT images of the head and neck after intravenous injection of 15-20 mCi of Tc-99m (V) DMSA were compared with normal Tc-99m (V) DMSA images and CT of heads and necks. The results showed that of the 27 NPC cases, none of the patients had a significant uptake of Tc-99m (V) DMSA. However, in the three cases complicated with metastases of neck lymph nodes, the metastatic lesions could be detected by Tc-99m (V) DMSA. Our results challenge previous reports in which carcinomas of the head and neck were detected by Tc-99m (V) DMSA. The tumor-seeking agent Tc-99m (V) DMSA is not a good choice for the detection of NPC among malignancies of the head and neck.