Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2013. Vol. 58. No. 2. P. 69-78

NUCLEAR MEDICINE

A.B. Bludov, Ya.A. Zamogilnaya, A.S. Nered, S.V. Shiryaev, N.V. Kochergina, L.E. Rotobelskaya

Diagnostic Value of Radionuclide Bone Scans in the Evaluation of the Preoperative Chemotherapy of Bone Sarcomas

N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center of RAMS, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To determine the diagnostic value of the radionuclide bone scans in the evaluation of the effectiveness of preoperative chemotherapy in patients with bone sarcomas on different diagnostic stages.

Material and methods: We analyzed the data of 52 patients with bone sarcomas (mostly with osteosarcoma (50 patients), which composed 96 % of the cases). All patients underwent bone scan examination with ^99mTc-Technefor. The patients were examined before, in the middle and at the end of the preoperative chemotherapy course.

Results: The sensitivity (predilection of Grade III–IV pathologic response) of the radionuclide bone scans in the middle of the preoperative chemotherapy (after 2–3 cycles) was 87 %, the specificity (predilection of Grade I-II pathologic response) was 69 %, accuracy – 79 %. At the end of the preoperative treatment, on the second diagnostic stage, the values of the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy increased up to 90, 73 and 83 %, correspondingly.

Conclusion: Bone radionuclide bone scans with ^99mTc-Tehnefor is a highly effective method in assessing of preoperative chemotherapy in patients with bone sarcomas.

Key words: osteosarcoma, chemotherapy, bone scintigraphy, ^99mTc-Technefor