IMAGES OF ESTROGEN-RECEPTOR-POSITIVE BREAST-TUMORS PRODUCED BY ESTRADIOL LABELED WITH IODINE I-123 AT 16-ALPHA

Objective: To examine the suitability of estradiol labeled with iodine I 123 at 16 alpha for imaging estrogen-receptor-positive breast carci noma using imaging instrumentation that is widely available. Design: S ingle-photon emission computed tomographic imaging survey of 29 women with suspected primary or expected recurrent breast carcinoma. Setting : University-based referral center. Participants: Twenty-nine women un dergoing diagnosis for primary or recurrent breast carcinoma. Selectio n was voluntary. Main Outcome Measure: Qualitative imaging study desig ned to provide tomographic data of radioligand retention and descripti ve data of imaging results. Results: Single-photon emission computed t omographic imaging using I-123-estradiol at 16 alpha was performed for patients with breast carcinoma. Independent readers, without knowledg e of receptor status or proven disease, interpreted the films. Scintig raphic detection was most noteworthy in patients with chest wall tumor s and inflammatory breast cancer. Agreement between readers was 98% fo r true-negative readings and 94% for true-positive readings, but only 60% for false-positive and false-negative film readings. Conclusions: Our results indicated that areas shown on imaging were also found to h ave estrogen-receptor activity and that radioligand accumulation can o ccur with low frequency in some surgically explored tissue. Radioligan d imaging with 16 alpha-I-123-estradiol can locate estrogen-receptor-p ositive breast tumors, including some that may be difficult to detect using conventional diagnostic imaging.