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J D Chapman

Publications and source records attributed to J D Chapman.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Condensed chromatin and cell inactivation by single-hit kinetics.

Mammalian cells are extremely sensitive to gamma rays at mitosis, the time at which their chromatin is maximally condensed. The radiation-induced killing of mitotic cells is well described by single-hit inactivation kinetics. To investigate if radiation hypersensitivity by single-hit inactivation correlated with chromatin condensation, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) K1 (wild-type) and xrs-5 (radiosensitive mutant) cells were synchronized by mitotic shake-off procedures and the densities of their chromatin cross sections and their radiosensitivities were measured immediately and 2 h into G1 phase. The chromatin of G1-phase CHO K1 cells was dispersed uniformly throughout their nuclei, and its average density was at least three times less than in the chromosomes of mitotic CHO K1 cells. The alpha-inactivation co-efficient of mitotic CHO K1 cells was approximately 2.0 Gy(-1) and decreased approximately 10-fold when cells entered G1 phase. The density of chromatin in CHO xrs-5 cell chromosomes at mitosis was greater than in CHO K1 cell chromosomes, and the radiosensitivity of mitotic CHO xrs-5 cells was the greatest with alpha = 5.1 Gy(-1). In G1 phase, CHO xrs-5 cells were slightly more resistant to radiation than when in mitosis, but a significant proportion of their chromatin was found to remain in condensed form adjacent to the nuclear membrane. These studies indicate that in addition to their known defects in DNA repair and V(D)J recombination, CHO xrs-5 cells may also be defective in some process associated with the condensation and/or dispersion of chromatin at mitosis. Their radiation hypersensitivity could result, in part, from their DNA remaining in compacted form during interphase. The condensation status of DNA in other mammalian cells could define their intrinsic radiosensitivity by single-hit inactivation, the mechanism of cell killing which dominates at the dose fraction size (1.8-2.0 Gy) most commonly used in radiotherapy.

Animals↗

Preclinical assessment of hypoxic marker specificity and sensitivity.

PURPOSE: In the search for a sensitive, accurate, and noninvasive technique for quantifying human tumor hypoxia, our laboratory has synthesized several potential radiodiagnostic agents. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the hypoxic marking properties of both radioiodinated and Tc-99m labeled markers in appropriate test systems which can predict for in vivo activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preclinical assessment of hypoxic marker specificity and sensitivity employed three laboratory assays with tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Radiolabeled marker uptake and/or binding to whole EMT-6 tumor cells under extremely hypoxic and aerobic conditions was measured and their ratio defined hypoxia-specific factor (HSF). Marker specificity to hypoxic tumor tissue was estimated from its selective avidity to two rodent tumors in vivo, whose radiobiologic hypoxic fractions (HF) had been measured. The ratios of % injected dose/gram (%ID/g) of marker at various times in EMT-6 tumor tissue relative to that in the blood and muscle of scid mice were used to quantify hypoxia-specific activity. This tumor in this host exhibited an average radiobiologic HF of approximately 35%. As well, nuclear medicine images were acquired from R3327-AT (HF approximately =15%) and R3327-H (no measurable HF) prostate carcinomas growing in rats to distinguish between marker avidity due to hypoxia versus perfusion. RESULTS: The HSF for FC-103 and other iodinated markers were higher (5-40) than those for FC-306 and other Tc-99m labeled markers. The latter did not show hypoxia-specific uptake into cells in vitro. Qualitative differences were observed in the biodistribution and clearance kinetics of the iodinated azomycin nucleosides relative to the technetium chelates. The largest tumor/blood (T/B) and tumor/muscle (T/M) ratios were observed for compounds of the azomycin nucleoside class in EMT-6 tumor-bearing scid mice. These markers also showed a 3-4 x higher uptake into R3327-AT tumors relative to the well-perfused R3327-H tumors. While both FC-306 and CERETEC rapidly distributed at unique concentrations to different tissues, their avidity to EMT-6 and R3327-AT tumors did not correlate with tumor HF. CONCLUSIONS: The halogenated azomycin nucleosides with the lowest lipid/water partition coefficient values were found to yield the optimal hypoxia-specific signal in these animal tumors. Our Tc-99m-labeled azomycin chelates showed little or no hypoxia-specific uptake and had in vivo biodistribution and clearance kinetics similar to those of CERETEC, a perfusion agent with no known hypoxic binding activity.

Animals↗

Tolyporphin: a natural product from cyanobacteria with potent photosensitizing activity against tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.

Tolyporphin (TP), a porphyrin extracted from cyanobacteria, was found to be a very potent photosensitizer of EMT-6 tumor cells grown both in vitro as suspensions or monolayers and in vivo in tumors implanted on the backs of C.B17/Icr severe combined immunodeficient mice. Thus, during photodynamic treatment (PDT) of EMT-6 tumor cells in vitro, the photokilling effectiveness of TP measured as the product of the reciprocal of D50 (the light dose necessary to kill 50% of cells) and the concentration of TP is approximately 5000 times higher than that of Photofrin II (PII), the only PDT photosensitizer thus far approved for clinical trials. TP almost exclusively localizes in the perinuclear region and specifically in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), as shown by microspectrofluorometry on single living EMT-6 cells costained with the ER and/or Golgi fluorescent vital probes, 3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide and N-[4,4-difluoro-(5,7-dimethyl-BODIPY)-1-pentanoyl]-D-erythro-sphin gosine (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR). As a result, the singlet oxygen-mediated photodynamic activity of TP induces an effective inactivation of the acyl CoA:cholesterol-O-acyltransferase, a sensitive marker of ER membrane integrity and alterations of the nuclear membrane. In vivo, with the EMT-6 mouse tumor model, an exceptional effectiveness is also observed as compared to that of PII and other second generation photosensitizers of the pheophorbide class, which are themselves much more potent than PII. The outstanding PDT activity of TP observed in vivo may be due to its unique biodistribution properties, in particular much less extraction by the liver, resulting in a higher delivery to other tissues, including tumor.

Animals↗

Measuring hypoxia and predicting tumor radioresistance with nuclear medicine assays.

Tumor cells at low oxygen tension are relatively radioresistant. The hypoxic fraction of individual tumors before, during and after radiotherapy is likely to have prognostic value but its diagnosis still awaits an accurate and acceptable assay. The recent indications that hypoxia can also induce the expression of specific genes and promote a more aggressive tumor phenotype makes its diagnosis even more important. Over 15 years ago, misonidazole, an azomycin-based hypoxic cell radiosensitizer, was found to link covalently to cellular molecules at rates inversely proportional to intracellular oxygen concentration. The use of bioreducible markers to positively label zones of viable hypoxic cells within solid tumors and to predict for tumor radioresistance was proposed. Several hypoxic markers have now been identified and their selective binding within tumors has been measured by both invasive and non-invasive assays. Research from our laboratory has emphasized both mechanistic and preclinical studies associated with nuclear medicine procedures for measuring tumor hypoxia and predicting tumor radioresistance. This report updates radiation oncologists about the status of nuclear medicine hypoxic marker research and development as of mid-1997. While several potential imaging agents have been identified, their testing and validation in appropriate human tumors will require focused research efforts by individual academic departments and, possibly, by clinical trials performed through cooperative groups. Since the prediction of hypoxia in individual tumors could strongly impact radiotherapy treatment planning, the radiation oncology research community is best positioned to execute the validation studies associated with these markers.

Animals↗

A dual hypoxic marker technique for measuring oxygenation change within individual tumors.

Rodent tumour models have been the 'workhorse' for tumour oxygenation research and for investigating radiobiological hypoxic fraction. Because of the intertumour heterogeneity of blood flow and related parameters, most studies have pooled information derived from several different tumours to establish the statistical significance of specific measurements. But it is the oxygenation status of and its modulation in individual tumours that has important prognostic significance. In that regard, the bioreducible hypoxic marker technique was tested for its potential to quantify oxygenation changes within individual tumours. Beta-D-iodinated azomycin galactoside (IAZG) and beta-D-iodinated azomycin xylopyranoside (IAZXP) were each radiolabelled with Iodine-125 and iodine-131 for measurements of animal tumour oxygenation. The tumour-blood (T/B) ratio of marker radioactivity in mice after the renal excretion of unbound marker (at 3 h and longer times) had been shown to be proportional to radiobiological hypoxic fraction. When markers labelled with both radioisotopes were administered simultaneously to EMT-6 tumour-bearing scid mice, T/B ratios were found to vary by up to 300% between different tumours, with an average intratumour variation of only approximately 4%. When the markers were administered 2.5-3.0 h apart, changes in T/B ratios of 8-25% were observed in 10 out of 28 (36%) tumours. Changes to both higher and lower hypoxic fraction were observed, suggestive of acute or cycling hypoxia. When 0.8 mg g(-1) nicotinamide plus carbogen was administered to increase tumour oxygenation, reductions in T/B ratios (mean deltaT/B approximately 38%) were observed in all tumours. Similar results were obtained with Dunning rat prostate carcinomas growing in Fischer x Copenhagen rats whose T/B ratios of IAZG and radiobiological hypoxic fractions are significantly lower. These studies suggest that fluctuating hypoxia can account for at least 25% of the total hypoxic fraction in some tumours and that correlations between bioreducible marker avidity and related tumour properties will be optimal when the independent assays are performed over the same time period. This dual hypoxic marker technique should prove useful for investigating both spontaneous and induced oxygenation changes within individual rodent tumours.

Animals↗

Radiation fields backscattered from material interfaces: I. Biological effectiveness.

Confluent cultures of CHO-K1 and CHO-xrs5 cells were irradiated attached to 6 microm Mylar with 137Cs gamma rays and 200 kVp X rays adjacent to scattering materials consisting of polystyrene, glass, aluminum, copper, tin and lead. The absorbed dose in cell nuclei was estimated from measurements of backscattered dose made with a parallel-plate ion chamber with a 5-microm Mylar window and a gas volume whose thickness was equivalent to approximately 2.6 microm of cells or tissue. Cell inactivation after various doses was measured by clonogenic assays after trypsinization and enumeration. Survival curves constructed from data pooled from at least two independent experiments were best fitted to a linear-quadratic (LQ) or a linear equation for CHO-K1 and CHO-xrs5 cells, respectively. An average distance of 9.3+/-1.9 microm from the scattering surfaces to the midline of nuclei for both the cell lines was estimated from electron micrographs of fixed cell sections. The major differences in biological effect observed when the cells were irradiated adjacent to these materials could be largely explained by the differences in the physical dose. Further analyses using the LQ equation suggested additional biological effects with implications for the mechanisms involved. CHO-K1 cells showed a small but consistent increase in the low-dose (alpha-inactivation coefficient) mechanism for both radiations scattered from high-Z material. An increased value of the alpha coefficient suggests an increase in RBE which could be associated with a higher proportion of low-energy and track-end electrons in these fields. The radiation fields which produced maximum single-hit killing in CHO-K1 cells also produced less killing by the quadratic (beta-inactivation coefficient) mechanism. In contrast, when similarly irradiated, CHO-xrs5 cells exhibited significantly lower alpha coefficients of inactivation. The mechanistic basis for this opposite effect of backscattered radiations in these cell lines is as yet unknown.

Animals↗

The intrinsic radiosensitivity of some human tumor cells throughout their cell cycles.

The intrinsic radiosensitivity of tumor cells is most frequently reported for asynchronous populations, although cell cycle variation in radiosensitivity is known to be significant. Linear-quadratic analyses of survival data for asynchronous human tumor cells show wide variations in the alpha coefficient with smaller variations in the beta coefficient. HT-29 (colon), OVCAR10 (ovary) and A2780 (ovary) tumor cells with alpha coefficients of 0.03, 0.16 and 0.47 Gy(-1), respectively, and square-root of beta coefficients of 0.23-0.27 Gy(-1) for asynchronous populations were amenable to synchronization by mitotic selection. Selection procedures were optimized for each cell line and produced mitotic populations of >90%, approximately 80% and approximately 65% purity for HT-29, OVCAR10 and A2780 cells, respectively. Mitotic cells from each line exhibited similar and maximum radiosensitivities with alpha coefficients of approximately 1.3 Gy(-1) after irradiation with 137Cs gamma rays and after correction for genome multiplicity. Their relative radiosensitivities observed with asynchronous cells were maintained as they progressed through interphase of the cell cycle. All cells in early G1 phase exhibited a marked radioresistance relative to their sensitivity in mitosis, and maximum interphase radiosensitivity was observed near the G1/S-phase boundary. All cells became increasingly radioresistant as they moved through S phase, the effect being most pronounced for OVCAR10 cells and least pronounced for A2780 cells. HT-29 cells remained relatively radioresistant in G2 phase. The different interphase radiosensitivities observed for these cell lines were determined mainly by the single-hit inactivation mechanism. These studies clearly demonstrate the dominant role of single-hit inactivation in determining the intrinsic radiosensitivity of human tumor cells to 137Cs gamma rays, especially at doses of 2 Gy and less.

Cell Cycle↗

Radiation inactivation of human prostate cancer cells: the role of apoptosis.

Radiation-induced apoptosis detected by gel electrophoresis was measured in cells of three human prostate carcinoma cell lines (TSU, PC-3 and DU-145) and compared to their intrinsic radiosensitivities as measured by clonogenic assays. The intrinsic radiosensitivities of each cell line were defined by their alpha and beta coefficients and their surviving fraction at 2 Gy, derived from complete survival curves. The temporal expression and kinetics of radiation-induced apoptosis for DU-145 cells, the human prostate carcinoma cell line which expressed the highest rate of radiation-induced apoptosis, was characterized further by differential sedimentation and the immunofluorescence assay (Apoptag) which was specific for 3'-OH ends in cellular DNA. Cell viability was measured microscopically with trypan blue staining. Cell survival after various doses was computer-fitted to either a simple linear or a linear-quadratic equation. Twenty-four hours after a 10-Gy dose of 137Cs gamma rays, DNA fragmentation to nucleosome multimers was strongly expressed in only DU-145 cells. In this cell line, when centrifugation at 12,000g for 10 min was used to separate fragmented from large molecular weight DNA, the proportion of DNA in the supernatant increased to a maximum of approximately 17% of the total by 10-12 h after radiation treatment. Cell death 24 h after irradiation measured by trypan blue exclusion assays followed single-hit kinetics up to 80 Gy. The proportion of cells which were labeled with Apoptag displayed single-hit kinetics and yielded the same inactivation coefficient as measured by trypan blue. Together, these data indicate that the rapid (24 h) inactivation of irradiated DU-145 cells results from apoptosis and accounts for about 5% of the single-hit killing measured by clonogenic assay. Temporal studies of radiation-induced killing of DU-145 cells distinguished this rapid mechanism of cell death from the major mechanism (72-144 h). These may correlate with apoptosis and proliferative cell death, respectively. Of the three prostate cancer cell lines investigated, only DU-145 cells displayed significant levels of radiation-induced DNA fragmentation and rapid cell death, with characteristics of apoptosis. This mechanism of cell death was complete by 24 h after irradiation and was well separated in time from the death of cells by the major mechanisms which occurred after 72 h, and accounted for about 5% of cell inactivation by a single-hit mechanism.

Apoptosis↗

Prediction of tumour hypoxia and radioresistance with nuclear medicine markers.

Second-generation nuclear medicine markers of tumour hypoxia have been synthesised and screened for hypoxic marking activity in cell cultures and in mouse tumours (EMT-6). Markers of the iodinated azomycin nucleoside class with greater water solubility and faster plasma clearance rates relative to iodoazomycin arabinoside (IAZA) were of particular interest. The test systems used to characterise hypoxic marking activity of compounds included (1) covalent linkage of radiolabelled markers to cells in suspension culture equilibrated with specific O2 concentrations; (2) biodistribution of radiolabelled markers in EMT-6 tumour-bearing mice; and (3) biodistribution in R3327-AT tumour-bearing rats by nuclear medicine procedures. Of the iodinated azomycin nucleosides produced to date, beta-D-iodoazomycin galactoside (beta-D-IAZG) and beta-D-iodoazomycin xylopyranoside (beta-D-IAZXP) exhibited high metabolism-dependent hypoxic cell uptake, rapid clearance kinetics from the blood and excellent tumour marking activity in vivo. Tumour-blood (T/B) ratio (a measure of tumour hypoxic fraction) was dependent upon EMT-6 tumour size and implantation site. The radioresistance of individual tumours was measured by in vivo/in vitro assay and correlated well with the T/B ratio of hypoxic marker. These studies have identified beta-D-IAZG and beta-D-IAZXP as effective hypoxic markers for planar and single photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) imaging studies of tumour oxygenation.

Animals↗

Measurement of hypoxia in human tumours by non-invasive spect imaging of iodoazomycin arabinoside.

Tumour oxygenation status in individual patients may be assessed using the bioreduction and linkage of 2-nitroimidazole markers to viable hypoxic cells in vivo with subsequent detection by conventional nuclear medicine techniques. Iodoazomycin arabinoside (IAZA) was radiolabelled with Iodine-123 and administered i.v. to 51 patients with newly diagnosed malignancies whose tumours were subsequently imaged by planar and single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) procedures. Quantitative analyses of radiotracer avidity were performed at 24 h post-injection and tumour-normal tissue ratios of greater than 1.10 were deemed positive for tumour hypoxia. By this criterion, the frequencies of hypoxia in small-cell lung cancer, squamous cell carcinomas of head and neck and malignant gliomas were 60% (9/15), 40% (6/15) and 0% (0/11) respectively. The correlation of positive IAZA scans with tumour control and survival in patients with lung cancer and head and neck tumours is currently under study. Preliminary observations in neck metastases from squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck tumours indicates decreased local control at 3 months post-treatment in tumours with IAZA avidity. This study concludes that: (1) 123I-IAZA can be administered safely and repeatedly as an outpatient routine imaging procedure in cancer patients during initial work-up and follow-up; (2) that retained drug can be detected by conventional nuclear medicine procedures in inaccessible deep-seated tumours; and (3) that this technique could prove useful for identifying those patients for whom hypoxia-directed therapy is indicated.

Cell Hypoxia↗

The role of specific reductases in the intracellular activation and binding of 2-nitroimidazoles.

PURPOSE: To determine the relative effectiveness of specific cellular reductases for the activation and binding of 2-nitroimidazoles in vivo. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Monkey kidney cells were transfected with recombinant plasmids to effect intracellular overexpression of P450 reductase and DT-diaphorase. The covalent binding of 2-nitroimidazoles to cellular macromolecules was measured as a function of time of cell incubation at various oxygen concentrations. The effect of allopurinol on cellular binding of radiolabeled 2-nitroimidazoles was also measured. RESULTS: A 1,000-fold overexpression of DT-diaphorase resulted in a small but significant increase in 2-nitroimidazole binding rate. An 80-fold overexpression of cytochrome P450 reductase resulted in a 5-7-fold increase in the binding rate of 2-nitroimidazole. The inhibition of xanthine oxidase by allopurinol had no effect on 2-nitroimidazole binding rates. The amplification of P450 reductase activity within cells was always much larger than the resultant increase in 2-nitroimidazole binding rate, suggesting an enzyme kinetic process less than first order and possibly of 1/2-order. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that cytochrome P450 reductase is the most important enzyme in these cells for reducing 2-nitroimidazoles to intermediates which can covalently bind to cellular macromolecules. Furthermore, since this cellular process demonstrates approximately 1/2-order kinetics, a tissue's capacity for binding 2-nitroimidazole drug in hypoxia should be proportional to the square root of its intracellular P450 reductase level.

Animals↗

Photodosimetry of interstitial light delivery to solid tumors.

Both anaplastic and well-differentiated Dunning prostate adenocarcinomas were illuminated in anesthetized Fischer X Copenhagen rats by single-fiber and multiple-fiber illuminators. Each illuminator consisted of a 2-cm laterally diffusing optical fiber placed within a plastic brachytherapy needle which was implanted into a tumor. Light attenuation coefficients for various wavelengths were obtained from measures of the radial falloff of intensity with distance from single fibers. These coefficients served as input to a 2-dimensional (2-D) photodosimetry computer code which calculated relative light intensities in planes perpendicular to single-fiber and various multiple-fiber configurations. These calculations assumed uniform optical property of tissue throughout each tumor, uniform and equal illuminance from diffusing fibers, and precise needle implantation. Relative light intensities along specific tumor tracks were measured and compared with those predicted by the 2-D photodosimetry code. Agreement within +/- 14% was observed for all configurations studied. Variations in relative intensity in tumor planes perpendicular to a standard seven-fiber illuminator were determined as a function of the distance between the implanted needles. Light wavelengths of 700 nm and greater produced relatively uniform light fields (approximately +/- 20%) in the R3327-AT tumor with needle spacings of at least 1 cm. The addition of two fibers at the periphery of this illuminator (a nine-fiber illuminator) improved the uniformity of light delivery to the encompassed tumor volumes. The importance of precision photodosimetry for interstitial applications of photodynamic therapy is discussed.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Optical properties of experimental prostate tumors in vivo.

The optical properties of tumor tissue provide important information for optimizing treatment plans in photodynamic therapy, especially when interstitial application by multiple fibers is planned. Near infrared light, required to activate novel photosensitizers, should facilitate improved light penetrance of tumor tissue compared with 630 nm light used for activating Photofrin II. We have measured light energy fluence rates for 630 and 789 nm light along radial tracks from a single laterally diffusing optical fiber centrally implanted into Dunning R3327-AT and R3327-H rat prostate tumors in anesthetized rats. A total of 20 R3327-AT and 10 R3327-H tumors were used in this study with volumes from 2.6 to 13.3 cm3. Light track data were analyzed by an empirical model that described light attenuation. At 630 nm, light attenuation coefficients (LAC) were approximately 1.9 x higher than those at 789 nm for both tumors with the well-differentiated, well-perfused tumor (R3327-H) attenuating to a greater extent than did the rapidly growing anaplastic tumor (R3327-AT). The intertumor variation of LAC was greater than the spatial variations observed within individual tumors. LAC were a function of tumor volume for only 630 nm light in the R3327-AT tumors.

Animals↗

Imaging tumor hypoxia and tumor perfusion.

Tumor perfusion and oxygenation status have been suggested as factors which may influence treatment outcome in cancer patients. Nuclear medicine assays of tumor perfusion [99mTc-hexamethylpropylenamine oxime (HMPAO)] and tumor hypoxia [123I-iodoazomycin arabinoside (IAZA)] have recently been developed and described. We report on measurements of perfusion and oxygenation status of 27 tumors in 22 patients using these probes. An inverse correlation between tumor uptake of HMPAO and IAZA was measured (p < 0.05), with severe perfusion deficit usually associated with an increased uptake of the hypoxic marker. This trend was observed for limited stage small-cell lung carcinoma, squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck, soft-tissue sarcoma, brain metastases from small-cell lung carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the prostate as a group, but not for glioblastoma multiforme. Whereas each imaging agent can yield information about the physiological status of tumor and normal tissue, the information resulting from their combined use could be important in cancer therapy.

Brain Neoplasms↗

Measurement of PDT-induced hypoxia in Dunning prostate tumors by iodine-123-iodoazomycin arabinoside.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is known to produce vascular damage in solid tumors resulting in secondary ischemia and tumor cell death from hypoxia. The oxygenation status of both non-treated and PDT-treated Dunning R3327-AT prostate tumors growing in Fischer X Copenhagen rats was investigated with the novel hypoxic marker, 123I-iodoazomycin arabinoside (IAZA). Both qualitative and quantitative data from planar scintigraphy of anesthetized tumor-bearing rats showed increased retention of 123I-IAZA in tumors treated with PDT. Tumor perfusion in the same tumors was measured with 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HM-PAO). Region of interest analyses revealed an inverse correlation between tumor hypoxia measured by 123I-IAZA and tumor perfusion as measured by 99mTc-HMPAO (coefficient of correlation, r = -0.72). Planar images of 2-mm frozen sections from a large tumor showed 123I-IAZA selectively retained in the region that had been treated with PDT. This and other iodinated azomycin nucleosides, labeled with 123I, show promise for monitoring tumor oxygenation status non-invasively and, in particular, for monitoring the effectiveness of interstitial PDT treatments where perfusion shutdown is a major mechanism of tumor response.

Animals↗

Non-invasive monitoring of photodynamic therapy with 99technetium HMPAO scintigraphy.

The effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on tumour perfusion in both anaplastic (R3327-AT) and well differentiated (R3327-H) Dunning prostatic tumours was studied using the radiopharmaceutical 99Technetium hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO). Tumours in the left flanks of rats (Copenhage x Fischer, F1 hybrids) were treated with interstitial PDT when their volumes reached 2-3 cm3. Qualitative and quantitative data from pre- and post-PDT scintigraphy revealed a light-dose-dependent shut-down of tumour perfusion which was also time-dependent. Maximal shut-down, following a 1,600 J light-dose, occurred about 8 h post-PDT. Light exposure 2 h after the intravenous administration of the photosensitiser (Photofrin II) produced a greater vascular shut-down than did light exposure 24 h after the administration of the drug. Regional differences in perfusion within treated and non-treated tumours were measured by tomographic procedures. Light-dose-dependent volumes of perfusion shut-down were demonstrated in addition to the naturally occurring regional differences in tumour perfusion. This radiopharmaceutical may have future utility for monitoring the clinical treatment of solid tumours with PDT.

Animals↗

Non-invasive assessment of human tumour hypoxia with 123I-iodoazomycin arabinoside: preliminary report of a clinical study.

Non-invasive predictive assays which can confirm the presence or absence of hypoxic cells in human tumours show promise for understanding the natural history of tumour oxygenation, and improving the selection of patient subsets for novel radiotherapeutic strategies. Sensitiser adducts have been proposed as markers for hypoxic cells. Misonidazole analogues radiolabelled with iodine-123 have been developed for the detection of tumour hypoxia using conventional nuclear medicine techniques. In this pilot study, we have investigated one such potential marker, 123I-iodoazomycin arabinoside (123I-IAZA). Patients with advanced malignancies have undergone planar and single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) imaging after intravenous administration of 123I-IAZA. We have observed radiotracer avidity in three out of ten tumours studied to date. Normal tissue activity of variable extent was also seen in the thyroid and salivary glands, upper aerodigestive tract, liver, intestine, and urinary bladder. Quantitative analysis of those images showing radiotracer avidity revealed tumour/normal tissue (T/N) ratios of 2.3 (primary small cell lung carcinoma), 1.9 (primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma) and 3.2 (brain metastasis from small cell lung carcinoma) at 18-24 h post injection. These preliminary data suggest that the use of gamma-emitter labelled 2-nitroimidazoles as diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals is feasible and safe, and that metabolic binding of 123I-IAZA is observed in some, but not all tumours. The inference that tumour 123I-IAZA avidity could be a non-invasive measure of tumour hypoxia deserves independent confirmation with needle oximetry.

Adult↗