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Tumour Imaging Using Radioisotopes (RCA) (RAS/6/042) F1 New
CORE FINANCING
YEAR
Human Resource Components (US $)
Procurement Components (US $)
Meetings/ Fellow- Scientific
Group Sub-Total Equipment
SubWorkshop ships
Visits
Training
Contracts
93,290
3,290
40,000
0
0
50,000
0
0
111,440
13,440
43,000
0
0
55,000
0
0
103,290
10,290
36,000
0
0
57,000
0
0
Experts
2005
2006
2007
TOTAL
Sub-Total
Misc.
Comp.
0
0
0
0
0
0
(US $)
93,290
111,440
103,290
FOOTNOTE-a/ FINANCING
YEAR
Human Resource Components (US $)
Procurement Components (US $)
Meetings/ Fellow- Scientific
Group Sub-Total Equipment
SubWorkshop ships
Visits
Training
Contracts
50,000
2005
0
0
0
0
50,000
0
0
First Year Approved: 2005
Experts
TOTAL
Sub-Total
Misc.
Comp.
0
0
(US $)
50,000
OBJECTIVES:
To improve the management of cancer patients by transferring radionuclide
imaging techniques of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission
computed tomography (PET) for cancer detection and monitoring the efficacies of therapies, including
validating and developing protocol for sentinel lymph node detection technique in RCA countries.
BACKGROUND: Incidents of cancer is rapidly increasing in Asian countries, and the diagnosis of
distant metastasis as well as primary tumours has become an urgent need to determine the mode of
therapy for achieving the better prognosis. To find distant metastasis that may critically affect the
prognosis, whole body and SPECT scans with tumour seeking agents such as technetium-99mdimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA (V)), -methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI), gallium-67-citrate,
thallium-201-chloride, and fluorine-18-flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) have been employed. They play
important roles in visualizing unexpected metastasis and expansion to adjacent tissue or organ.
PET is changing the way in which cancer is managed and is forcing a reassessment of conventional
staging with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in certain cancer
groups. It can be used to plan the delivery of, and assess the response to, therapy, allowing the
treatment regimens to be modified without delay if the response is inadequate. The largest influence of
PET has been in the management of lung tumours, colorectal tumours and lymphomas.
Fluorine-18-FDG is one of the most effective tumour-seeking agents, and it proved cost-effective in
the assessment of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN) and in staging non-small cell lung cancer.
Technetium-99m-DMSA (V) is a tumour imaging agent which is able to visualize some malignant
tumours such as soft tissue tumour and thyroid medullary carcinoma. The labelling of commercially
available DMSA (III) kit with technetium-99m is a quite unique technique but simple. The clinical
application may be useful for visualizing tumour distribution.
Technetium-99m-MIBI is a radiopharmaceutical for cardiac perfusion imaging but also for tumour
imaging. The retention of this radiopharmaceutical in tumour cells can be validated as a predictor of
response to chemotherapy in a wide variety of human cancers. The clinical application with a gamma
camera may be useful for management of patients that should undergo chemotherapies.
Gallium-67-citrate is one of cyclotron-produced radiopharmaceuticals and the clinical use has been
limited even in RCA Member States. However, the radiopharmaceutical is very useful for the
diagnosis and staging of malignant lymphoma, sarcoma and melanoma. The clinical application with
SPECT would be very useful for RCA Member States.
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Thallium-201-chloride is also a cyclotron-produced radiopharmaceutical that is shown to have affinity
for brain tumours. It has high sensitivity for detection of new, recurrent, or residual viable tumour,
which are difficult to differentiate from post-radiation necrosis and oedema on CT or MRI.
Lymphoscitigraphy with a gamma probe has recently acquired an expanding role in clinical medicine
for oncology and plays an important role in the detection of sentinel lymph nodes in several types of
tumours, primarily breast cancer and melanoma.
The project will make it possible for the Member States that do have access to SPECT, PET and
sentinel lymph node detection technologies to apply them in the management of cancer patients.
NATIONAL COMMITMENT: Participating countries with the suitable infrastructure, such as an
advanced gamma camera system and PET system, will provide their facilities for training. They will
designate Regional Resource Units for this purpose.
OTHER STAKEHOLDERS INPUT:
Extrabudgetary contributions are expected from Japan.
AGENCY INPUT: The Agency will provide technical and administrative support to the project,
including organizing training events, and provision of expert services with a cooperation of the
counterpart.
OUTCOMES:
1. Transfer of technology for nuclear medicine imaging and sentinel lymph node imaging to
participating RCA Member States.
2. Improvement of the clinical management of cancer patients with nuclear medicine techniques.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR OUTCOMES:
1a. At least 100 persons from the Member States will be trained on new nuclear imaging techniques
through regional training courses and expert missions before the end of the project.
2a. At least 10% of the nuclear medical centres in the region will apply new nuclear imaging
techniques introduced through the project in management of cancer patients within one year after
completion of the project.
EXPECTED PROJECT IMPACT:
A greater awareness among medical professionals on the
effectiveness of nuclear medicine imaging techniques and sentinel lymph node detection technique to
improve the management of cancer patients will be achieved. This will eventually lead to better
clinical management of cancer patients resulting in the possible reduction in mortality and morbidity
rates and cost-effectiveness by avoiding unnecessary treatment procedures.