[en] This proceedings contains articles of 2001 spring meeting of the Korean Society Nuclear Medicine. It was held on May 18, 2001 in Daegu, Korea. This proceedings is comprised of 3 sessions. The subject titles of session are as follows: Nuclear medicine, Neurology, Cancer. (Yi, J. H.)

[en] Nuclear medicine has traditionally contributed to molecular oncology by allowing noninvasive monitoring of tumor metabolism, growth and genetic changes, thereby providing a basis for appropriate biology-based treatment planning. However, NM techniques are now being applied as an active therapeutic tool in novel molecular approaches for cancer treatment. Such areas include research on cancer therapy with radiolabeled ligands or oligonucleotides, and utilization of synergism between NM radiotherapy and gene transfer techniques. Here we will focus on novel aspects of nuclear medicine therapy

[en] The radionuclide therapy is a protocol for tumor control by administering radionuclides as the cytotoxic agents. Radionuclides concentrated at the site of cancerous lesion are expected to kill the cancerous cells with minimal injury to the normal tissue. The efficacy of every radionuclide treatment can be evaluated by examining the toxicity to the lesion differentiated from that to the normal tissue. Radiation dosimerty is the procedure of quantitating the energy absorbed by target volumes of interest. Dosimetric information plays an indicator of the expected radiation damage and thus the therapeutic efficacy. This paper summarizes the dosimetric aspects in radionuclide therapy in terms of radionuclides of use, radionuclides of use, radiation dosimetry methodology and considerations for each treatment in practical use

[en] Ho-166 is a beta-emitting radionuclide and physical characteristics are suitable for internal radiotherapy especially in malignant tumors. However, radiation biology of internal radiotherapy using beta-emitter has not been fully investigated. In this study, radiation response and radiobiology of internal therapy are investigated using radioresistant tumor, malignant melanoma

[en] The positron emission tomograhpy (PET) has been used for the evaluation of the characteristics of various tumors. The role of PET in oncology has been evolved from a pure research tool to a methodology of enormous clinical potential. The unique characteristics of PET imaging make sophisticated quantitation possible. Several quantitative methods, such as standardized uptake values (SUV), simplifield quantitation method, Patlak graphical analysis, and Sokoloff's glucose metabolism measurement, have been used in the field of oncology. However, each quantitative method has limitations of its own. For example, the SUV has been used as a quantitative index of glucose metabolism for tumor classification and monitoring response to treatment, even though it depends on blood glucose level, body configuration of patient, and scanning time. The quantitative methods of PET are reviewed and strategy for implementing these methods are presented

[en] Regional MBF and MRG1c can be accurately estimated with N-13 ammonia FDG PET using tracer kinetic methods including compartmental and non-compartmental approaches. Compartment modeling approaches are physiologically well characterized, but are methodologically more complicated. Noncompartmental analysis are easier to implement while the limitations and assumptions of the methods should be understood prior to the application of the method

[en] Although diverse mechanisms are involved in multidrug resistance for chemotherapeutic drugs, the development of cellular P-glycoprotein(Pgp) and multidrug-resistance associated protein (MRP) are improtant factors in the chemotherapy failure to cancer. Various detection assays provide information about the presence of drug efflux pumps at the mRNA and protein levels. However these methods do not yield information about dynamic function of Pgp and MRP in vivo. Single photon emission tomograpy (SPECT) and positron emission tomograpy (PET) are available for the detection of Pgp and MRP-mediated transport. ^99mTc-sestaMIBI and other ^99mTc-radiopharmaceuticals are substrates for Pgp and MRP, and have been used in clinical studies of tumor imaging, and to visualize blockade of Pgp-mediated transport after modulation of Pgp pump. Colchicine, verapamil and daunorubicin labeled with ¹¹C have been evaluated for the quantification of Pgp-mediated transport with PET in vivo and reported to be feasible substrates with which to image Pgp function in tumors. Leukotrienes are specific substrates for MRP and N-⁽¹¹C]acetyl-leukotriene E4 provides an opportunity to study MRP function non-invasively in vivo. Results obtained from recent publications are reviewed to confirm the feasibility of using SPECT and PET to study the functionality of MDR transportes in vivo

[en] Restenosis remains a major limitation of percutaneous coronary interventions. Numerous Studies including pharmacological approaches and new devices failed to reduce restenosis rate except coronary stenting. Since the results of BENESTENT and STRESS studies came out, coronary stenting has been the most popular interventional strategy in the various kinds of coronary stenotic lesions, although the efficacy of stending was shown only in the discrete lesion of the large coronary artery. The widespread use of coronary stending has improved the early and late outcomes after coronary intervention, but it has also led to a new and serious problem, e.g., in-stent restenosis. Intravascular radiation for prevention of restenosis is a new technology in the field of percutaneous coronary intervention. Recent animal experiments and human trials have demonstrated that local irradiation, in conjunction with coronary interventions, substantially diminished the rate of restenosis. This paper reviews basic radiation biology of intracoronary radiation and its role in the inhibition of restenosis. The current status of intracoronary radiation therapy using Re-188 liquid balloon is also discussed