BLOOD-FLOW MEASUREMENT IN EXTREMITY SOFT-TISSUE SARCOMA WITH TC-99M HEXAMETHYL-PROPYLENEAMINEOXIME AND SINGLE-PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY

Blood flow measurements were made in 28 patients with soft tissue sarc oma of the extremities to investigate the prognostic significance of t umour vascularity. Four patients with benign tumours also underwent bl ood flow measurement. Mean and maximum tumour blood flow was calculate d from technetium-99m hexamethyl-propylene-amineoxime uptake measured using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), tumour volum e measured from SPECT transaxial image reconstructions and cardiac out put assessed with Doppler ultrasonography. Twenty-seven malignant lesi ons and one benign tumour showed increased uptake of isotope relative to surrounding tissues. Mean sarcoma blood flow varied between 1 and 3 3 ml per 100 ml tumour per min, and maximum flow between 5 and 57 ml p er 100 ml per min. Fourteen patients developed progressive disease dur ing the first year of follow-up. Eight of 11 patients with a high isot ope uptake ratio, eight of 12 with a high mean blood flow and eight of 14 with a high maximum blood flow relative to the respective medians for the series showed disease progression.