Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer using 201Tl-chloride and a three-head rotating gamma camera SPECT system

201Tl SPECT was performed on 17 patients with pancreatic cancer or chronic pancreatitis using a three-head rotating gamma camera SPECT system. In 7 of 10 patients with pancreatic cancer, the lesions were clearly delineated by 201Tl SPECT. Whereas the lesion of 30 mm in diameter was visualized, a large tumor of 80 mm in diameter could not be visualized. Namely, it was thought that 201Tl uptake by pancreatic cancer might be well correlated with tumor blood flow and/or its histological subtype rather than with tumor size. In 5 of 7 patients with chronic pancreatitis, no uptake by the pancreas was shown. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in diagnosing pancreatic cancer by 201Tl SPECT were 70%, 71%, and 71%, respectively. The present results obtained by 201Tl SPECT were thought satisfactory enough to evaluate pancreatic cancer under the present conditions where there was no useful imaging agent for visualizing pancreatic cancer by SPECT. 201Tl SPECT is expected to be a new diagnostic tool for investigation of pancreatic tumorous lesion. (author)