Preliminary Tl-201 SPECT for assessment of treatment efficacy in three patients with pancreatic cancer.

To evaluate treatment efficacy, Tl-201 SPECT was performed in three patients with pancreatic cancer. In all of the patients, the degree of Tl-201 uptake by tumor, evaluated from the tumor-liver uptake ratio of Tl-201 activity, correlated well with alterations in serum level of a tumor marker (CA 19-9, DUPAN-2) after treatment. One of the patients showed no tumor shrinkage on CT after treatment; however, Tl-201 SPECT demonstrated reduced uptake in the tumor coupled with a decreased level of CA 19-9. These results suggest that Tl-201 SPECT may become a new tool for assessing the efficacy of treatment in pancreatic cancer.