Abstract
PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of applying the dual imaging mechanisms of (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy in predicting and evaluating the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with osteosarcoma who underwent both pre-and post-chemotherapy (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy were enrolled in the study. In each patient, the tumor to background ratio (T/B), tumor washout rate (WR) of MIBI and the alteration rate (AR) of tumor uptake after chemotherapy was calculated, respectively, on MIBI scintigraphy before or after chemotherapy. Based on the tumor necrosis rate histologically confirmed by tumor resection after chemotherapy, the diagnostic performance of MIBI scintigraphy was assessed in predicting tumor response with the WR of pre-chemotherapy imaging, as well as evaluating tumor response with the AR of both pre-and post-chemotherapy imaging. RESULTS: On pre-chemotherapy MIBI imaging, no statistical difference was found in T/B values between patients with good response and those with poor response, but the WR in patients with good response was significantly lower. Tumor WR was negatively correlated with the tumor necrosis rate (r = -0.510, P = 0.004). When WR ≤ 25% was taken as the threshold for predicting good response, a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 91.7% and an accuracy of 95.8% would be yielded. On post-chemotherapy imaging, T/B values both on early and delayed phases were significantly lower in responders and AR of tumor uptake was significantly higher in these responders. When AR ≥ 38% was used as the threshold for a good response, a sensitivity of 91.7%, a specificity of 94.4% and an accuracy of 93.3% would be yielded. The diagnostic coincidence rate between WR for predicting chemotherapy response and AR for evaluating chemotherapy response was 90.0% (kappa = 0.789, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: (99m)Tc-MIBI imaging is a useful tool for the evaluation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma, and its dual mechanisms could be simultaneously used in predicting and evaluating tumor response to chemotherapy.