QUANTITATIVE STUDIES OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY TARGETING TO DISIALOGANGLIOSIDE G(D2) IN HUMAN BRAIN-TUMORS

Iodine-131 3F8, a murine IgG(3) monoclonal antibody that targets to G( D2)-bearing tumors, was administered intravenously to 12 patients with brain tumors. Six patients received 2 mCi (0.74 Bq) of I-131-3F8, fiv e patients 10 mCi (3.7 Bq)/1.73 m(2) of I-131-3F8, and one patient 2.6 mCi (0.96 Bq) of I-124-3F8, with no side-effects. Nine of 11 malignan t gliomas and the single metastatic melanoma showed antibody localizat ion, with the best tumor delineation on single-photon emission tomogra phy (SPET) following 10 mCi (3.7 Bq)/1.73 m(2) dose. No nonspecific up take in the normal craniospinal axis was detected. There was no differ ence in the phar macokinetics of low-dose versus the higher-dose antib ody groups; plasma and total-body half-lives were 18 h and 49 h, respe ctively. Surgical sampling and time-activity curves based on quantitat ive imaging showed peak uptake in high-grade glioma at 39 h, with a ha lf-life of 62 h. Tumor uptake at time of surgery averaged 3.5 x 10(-3) %ID/g and peak activity by the conjugate view method averaged 9.2 x 1 0(-3) %ID/g (3.5-17.8). Mean radiation absorption dose was 3.9 rad per mCi injected (range 0.7-9.6) or 10.5 cGy/Bq (range 1.9-26). There was agreement on positive sites when immunoscintigraphy was compared with technetium-99m glucoheptonate/diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid p lanar imaging, thallium-201 SPET, and fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose p ositron emission tomography. Taken together, these data suggest that q uantitative estimates of antibody targeting to intracranial tumors can be made using the modified conjugate view method.