George H. Hinkle

A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

The concept of radioguided surgery, which was first developed some 60 years ago, involves the use of a radiation detection probe system for the intraoperative detection of radionuclides. The use of gamma detection probe technology in radioguided surgery has tremendously expanded and has evolved into what is now considered an established discipline within the practice of surgery, revolutionizing the surgical management of many malignancies, including breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, as well as the surgical management of parathyroid disease. The impact of radioguided surgery on the surgical management of cancer patients includes providing vital and real-time information to the surgeon regarding the location and extent of disease, as well as regarding the assessment of surgical resection margins. Additionally, it has allowed the surgeon to minimize the surgical invasiveness of many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, while still maintaining maximum benefit to the cancer patient. In the current review, we have attempted to comprehensively evaluate the history, technical aspects, and clinical applications of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology.

In vivo imaging and radioiodine therapy following sodium iodide symporter gene transfer in animal model of intracerebral gliomas

Radioactive iodide uptake (RAIU) in thyroid follicular epithelial cells, mediated by the sodium iodide symporter (NIS), is the first rate-limiting step in iodide accumulation which provides a mechanism for effective radioiodide treatment for patients with thyroid cancer. We hypothesize that NIS gene transfer to non-thyroid tumor cells will enhance intracellular radioiodide accumulation and result in better tumor control. Here, we performed non-invasive tumor imaging and 131I therapy studies using rats bearing intracerebral F98 gliomas that have been retrovirally transduced with human NIS. Our results show that: (1) NIS is expressed in the intracerebral F98/NIS gliomas; (2) F98/NIS gliomas can be imaged by 99mTcO4 (whose uptake is also mediated by NIS) and 123I scintigraphy; (3) significant amounts of radioiodide were retained in the tumors at 24 h after 123I injection; (4) RAIU and NIS expression in the thyroid gland can be reduced by feeding a thyroxine-supplemented diet; and (5) survival time was increased in rats bearing F98/hNIS tumors by 131I treatment. These studies warrant further investigating tumor imaging and therapeutic strategies based on NIS gene transfer followed by radioiodide administration in a variety of human cancers.

Radioimmunoguided surgery using monoclonal antibody

The potential proficiency of radioimmunoguided surgery in the intraoperative detection of tumors was assessed using labeled monoclonal antibody B72.3 in 66 patients with tissue-proved tumor. Monoclonal antibody B72.3 was injected 5 to 42 days preoperatively, and the hand-held gamma-detecting probe was used intraoperatively to detect the presence of tumor. Intraoperative probe counts of less than 20 every 2 seconds, or tumor-to-adjacent normal tissue ratios less than 2:1 were considered negative (system failure). Positive probe counts were detected in 5 of 6 patients with primary colon cancer (83 percent), in 31 of 39 patients with recurrent colon cancer (79 percent), in 4 of 5 patients with gastric cancer (80 percent), in 3 of 8 patients with breast cancer (37.5 percent), and in 4 of 8 patients with ovarian cancer (50 percent) undergoing second-look procedures. Additional patients in each group were scored as borderline positive. Overall, radioimmunoguided surgery using B72.3 identified tumors in 47 patients (71.2 percent), bordered on positive in 6 patients (9.1 percent), and failed to identify tumor in 13 patients (19.7 percent). Improved selection of patients for antigen-positive tumors, the use of higher affinity second-generation antibodies, alternate routes of antibody administration, alternate radionuclides, and more sophisticatedly bioengineered antibodies and antibody combinations should all lead to improvements in radioimmunoguided surgery.

Intraoperative detection of colorectal cancer with radioimmunoguided surgery and CC49, a second-generation monoclonal antibody

Radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) has been employed intra-operatively in cases of colorectal cancer to assess the extent of local tumor spread and metastatic disease. This technique uses radiolabcled monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against tumor-associated antigens, and a hand-held gamma-detection probe to detect the radiolabel fixed to tumor tissue. Recently introduced is an MAb directed against tumor-associated glycoprotcin (anti-TAG), CC49. Sixty patients were entered into the initial study. Eighteen of 21 (86%) primary tumors were localized by the CC49 MAb and the gamma-detecting probe. Twenty-nine of 30 (97%) recurrent tumors were localized. Antibody dose did not affect localization. Specimens were divided into tissue types I through IV, based on antibody localization and hematoxylin and cosin (H&E) staining: type I, RIGS (-) and histologically (-); type II, RIGS (-) and histologically (+); type III, RIGS (+) and histologically (-); type IV, RIGS (+) and histologically (+). Type IV tissues were further classified by whether they were grossly apparent, IVa, or grossly inapparent, IVb (occult). Occult tumor found by RIGS and confirmed by H&E staining (type IV) had localization ratios similar to RIGS-positive, histology-negative tissue (type III). Traditionally found cancer (type IV) had significantly higher ratios. In 12 of 24 patients (50%) with primary tumors and 14 of 30 patients (47%) with recurrent tumors, RIGS with CC49 altered the planned operative procedure. Radioimmunoguidcd surgery with CC49 provides useful, immediate intraoperativc information not available by other techniques.

Immunoscintigraphy with indium-111-capromab pendetide: evaluation before definitive therapy in patients with prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES No standard noninvasive diagnostic test reliably differentiates patients with organ-confined prostate cancer from those with lymph node metastases. The ability of a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, indium-111 (111ln)-capromab pendetide, to identify sites of metastatic disease in patients at moderate to high risk of nodal involvement was investigated. METHODS The study prospectively evaluated 160 patients with prostate cancer scheduled to undergo pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) before or during definitive treatment. All were at relatively high risk of nodal involvement by virtue of significantly elevated baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values, Gleason scores, and/or locally advanced clinical stages of disease. The histologic findings of the PLNDs were compared with the results of immunoscintigraphy, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Among the 152 evaluable patientS studied with 111In-capromab pendetide before PLND, the sensitivity of immunoscintigraphy for lymph node detection was 62% and the specificity was 72%; the positive predictive value was 62% and the negative predictive value was 72%. In comparison, the sensitivity of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging was 4% and 15%, respectively, and the specificity was 100% for both procedures on the basis of a large number of negative interpretations. Logistic regression analysis revealed that immunoscintigraphy with 111In-capromab pendetide provided strong, independent evidence of the presence of lymph node metastases. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that certain combinations of PSA, Gleason score, and 111In-capromab pendetide were particularly effective at predicting the risk of nodal involvement. CONCLUSIONS Immunoscintigraphy with 111In-capromab pendetide outperformed standard diagnostic imaging techniques in the detection of prostate cancer lymph node metastases and provided independent prognostic information that complemented PSA, Gleason score, and clinical stage.

Radioimmunoguided surgery using the monoclonal antibody B72.3 in colorectal tumors

The authors have developed a hand-held gamma-detecting probe (GDP) for intraoperative use that improves the sensitivity of external radioimmunodetection. Radiolabeled monoclonal antibody (MAb) B72.3 was injected in six patients with primary colorectal cancer and 31 patients with recurrent colorectal cancer an average of 16 days preoperatively. The GDP localized the MAb B72.3 in 83 percent of sites. The technique, known as a radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGSTM) system did not alter the surgical procedure in patients with primary colorectal cancer but did alter the approach in 26 percent (8/31) of patients with recurrent colorectal cancer. Two patients avoided unnecessary liver resections and two underwent extraabdominal approaches to document their disease. The RIGS system may influence the short-term morbidity and mortality of surgery for colorectal cancer. Larger series and longer follow-up are needed to determine whether the RIGS system confers a survival advantage to the patient with colorectal cancer.

Somatostatin receptor imaging of neuroendocrine tumors with indium-111 pentetreotide (Octreoscan)

Somatostatin, a naturally occurring 14-amino acid peptide, can be thought of as an anti-growth hormone and functional down-regulator of sensitive tissue. Most neuroendocrine tumors seem to possess somatostatin receptors in sufficient abundance to allow successful scintigraphic imaging with radiolabeled somatostatin congeners. Several of these, including Indium-III-DTPA Pentetreotide (Octreoscan [Mallinckrodt Medical, St. Louis, MO]), which was approved for clinical use by the Food and Drug Administration in June 1994, have been of considerable value in scintigraphically identifying various neuroendocrine tumors. The Octreoscan compares favorably with other imaging modalities. The success of somatostatin receptor imaging in evaluating patients with suspected neuroendocrine tumors, including identifying otherwise radiographically occult lesions, has resulted in ranking somatostatin receptor imaging as the prime imaging procedure in patients with suspected neuroendocrine tumors at The Ohio State University.

Synthesizing and binding dual-mode poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanobubbles for cancer targeting and imaging.

Accurate assessment of tumor boundaries and recognition of occult disease are important oncologic principles in cancer surgeries. However, existing imaging modalities are not optimized for intraoperative cancer imaging applications. We developed a nanobubble (NB) contrast agent for cancer targeting and dual-mode imaging using optical and ultrasound (US) modalities. The contrast agent was fabricated by encapsulating the Texas Red dye in poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NBs and conjugating NBs with cancer-targeting ligands. Both one-step and three-step cancer-targeting strategies were tested on the LS174T human colon cancer cell line. For the one-step process, NBs were conjugated with the humanized HuCC49 Delta C(H)2 antibody to target the over-expressed TAG-72 antigen. For the three-step process, cancer cells were targeted by successive application of the biotinylated HuCC49 Delta C(H)2 antibody, streptavidin, and the biotinylated NBs. Both one-step and three-step processes successfully targeted the cancer cells with high binding affinity. NB-assisted dual-mode imaging was demonstrated on a gelatin phantom that embedded multiple tumor simulators at different NB concentrations. Simultaneous fluorescence and US images were acquired for these tumor simulators and linear correlations were observed between the fluorescence/US intensities and the NB concentrations. Our research demonstrated the technical feasibility of using the dual-mode NB contrast agent for cancer targeting and simultaneous fluorescence/US imaging.

Intraoperative radioimmunodetection of colorectal tumor with a hand-held radiation detector

A hand-held gamma detection probe was used intraoperatively to localize primary and recurrent colorectal tumors in 28 patients 48 to 72 hours after they received an intravenous injection of 2.2 mCi of iodine-131 labeled anticarcinoembryonic antigen polyclonal baboon antibody. Preoperative evaluation included determination of serum carcinoembryonic antigen, barium enema, colonoscopy, chest film, computerized axial tomography, liver, spleen, and bone scans, and endoscopy when indicated. Preoperative whole-body imaging correctly localized primary tumors in only 33 percent of the patients, whereas it correctly demonstrated tumor in 64 percent of those with recurrent disease. Intraoperative tumor-to-background ratios derived from the detector probe were elevated in all patients, averaging 3.97:1 in primary lesions and 4.18:1 in recurrent tumors. Postoperatively, carcinoembryonic antigen was localized in tissues with the avidin-biotin peroxidase staining technique to confirm intraoperative readings. Variations in stain uptake in a patient could be correlated with variations in radiation detector readings in the same patient. Results support our previous work in nude mice, demonstrating the improved sensitivity and specificity of the hand-held gamma detection device over whole-body imaging for intraoperative localization of immunoradiolabeled tumors.

Fabrication of indocyanine green encapsulated biodegradable microbubbles for structural and functional imaging of cancer

We developed a novel dual-modal contrast agent for the structural and functional imaging of cancer. The contrast agent was fabricated by encapsulating indocyanine green (ICG) in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microbubbles using a modified double-emulsion method. More stabilized absorption and fluorescence emission characteristics were observed for aqueous and plasma suspensions of ICG-encapsulated microbubbles. The technical feasibility of concurrent structural and functional imaging was demonstrated through a series of benchtop tests in which the aqueous suspension of ICG-encapsulated microbubbles was injected into a transparent tube embedded in an Intralipid phantom at different flow rates and concentrations. Concurrent fluorescence imaging and B-mode ultrasound imaging successfully captured the changes of microbubble flow rate and concentration with high linearity and accuracy. One potential application of the proposed ICG-encapsulated PLGA microbubbles is for the identification and characterization of peritumoral neovasculature for enhanced coregistration between tumor structural and functional boundaries in ultrasound-guided near-infrared diffuse optical tomography.