[131i]-Meta-Iodobenzylguanidine in Treatment of Malignant Phaeochromocytomas

Treatment of malignant pheochromocytoma with combination chemotherapy.

“…More recently, Sisson et al 3 have used I3I I-MIBG to treat five patients, but only two showed objective response as measured by tumor size and catecholamine secretion. Vetteret al 6 have reported two patients with minor reduction in tumor size but no change in secretion of catecholamines following I3 'I-MIBG. In our own experience, we have found that only one of five patients with malignant pheochromocytoma has had appreciable uptake of I3I I-MIBG into the tumor.…”

“…9 Because of these similarities and because there are good data on chemotherapy for Hamilton etal. 7 Scott et al Scott et al 4 Vetter et al 6 Sisson et al This combination chemotherapeutic regimen has produced a nearly complete response in Patient 2 and a partial response in Patients 1 and 3. Patient 2 continues to improve, and we plan to continue therapy in all three patients until (1) there are no more signs of disease, as measured on x-ray film or CT scan and by increased amounts of catecholamines or metabolites in plasma or urine, or (2) there is obvious growth of tumor or new metastases in spite of chemotherapy.…”

Imaging and uptake mechanism of 131I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine in medullary thyroid carcinoma.

“…From these results , we believed that could be useful not only for the imaging of the tumor localisation , but also for the treatment of MTC and its metastasis , as in pheochromocytoma (Vetter et al ., 1983). In any way, MTC might be listed in the table of catecholamine-producing tumor as the third one.…”

“…has been used for the scintigraphic localisation (Sisson et al, 1981) and the treatment (Vetter et al, 1983) of pheochromocytomas and neuroblastomas (Treuner et al, 1984). The molecular structure of 131I-MIBG resembles that of norepinephrine (NE), and 131I-MIBG is transported and stored as NE in the storage vesicles of chromaffin cells (Sisson et al, 1981).…”

Changing Paradigms in the Treatment of Malignant Pheochromocytoma

“…In 1984, investigators at the University of Michigan realized that this property of specifi c uptake by pheochromocytomas could make it a useful therapeutic tool as well. 15,16 Ra- , known to be effective in treating thyroid cancer, was attached to the MIBG molecule to produce I 131 -MIBG, which at high enough doses could then be used as a semi-selective radiation therapy agent for malignant pheochromocytoma. The fact that it must be taken up specifi cally by the cells of the tumor is also one of its drawbacks.…”