Neuroblastoma imaged with¹²³I meta-iodo-benzylguanidine and with¹²³I-labelled monoclonal antibody, UJ13A, against neural tissue

Abstract

Neuroblastoma is a common malignancy of young children which in disseminated cases has a very poor prognosis. The introduction of intensive chemotherapy has resulted in long-term survival for a proportion of children (Pritchard & Kemshead, 1983). Recently, studies at the Hospital for Sick Children, London, have demonstrated the uptake and potential benefit of imaging and therapy with an 131I-labelled monoclonal antibody UJ13A (Goldman et al, 1983, 1984). This monoclonal antibody, when raised following immunisation of mice with human neural tissue, has been shown to recognise an antigen present on neuroectodermal tissue, including neuroblastoma. Studies have demonstrated that radiolabelled UJ13A is taken up by xenografts of human neuroblastoma in mice and by primary tumours and metastatic deposits in patients with histologically proven neuroblastoma (Allan et al, 1983). Many neuroblastomas have been shown to secrete metabolites of adrenaline and noradrenaline. 131I-labelled meta-iodo-benzylguanidine, MIBG, has been demonstrated to be of clinical use for imaging phaeochromocytoma and its metastases (Sisson et al, 1981; Shapiro et al, 1982; Sutton et al, 1982). It has also been used for imaging neuroblastoma (Kimmig et al, 1984; Feine et al, 1984; Treuner et al, 1984). In this department we have used 123I-labelled UJ13A to image neuroblastoma and 123I-labelled MIBG to image phaeochromocytoma (Home et al, 1984a, b; Lynn et al, 1984). A child with disseminated neuroblastoma has been studied with both 123I-labelled UJ13A and 123I-labelled MIBG and the results are presented and compared.