[Evaluation of clinical utility of 123I-MIBG scintigraphy in localization of tumors of sympathetic and adrenomedullary origin--a report of multicenter phase III clinical trials].

Phase III clinical study was performed to evaluate clinical utility of 123I-MIBG in the localization of tumors in 48 patients with tumors of sympathetic and adrenomedullary origin, diagnosed or strongly suspected. Sixteen patients had pheochromocytoma, 23 had neuroblastoma, 7 had medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, and 2 had Sipple syndrome. In 3 out of 48 patients, 123I-MIBG scintigraphy was performed twice. The clinical utility of 123I-MIBG was evaluated in 50 cases. Out of 140 lesions, 123I-MIBG scintigraphy demonstrated 51 true positive, 79 true negative, 1 false positive, and 2 false negative. Seven lesions were not evaluable. Sensitivity was 96.2%, Specificity was 98.8%, and Accuracy was 97.7%. An acquisition between 4 hrs and a day after injection was adequate for tumor detection. Neither adverse reactions nor abnormal laboratory findings were noted in relation to 123I-MIBG injections. Our study indicates that 123I-MIBG is a safe and useful radiotracer for visualization and localization of tumors of sympathetic and adrenomedullary origin.