Accumulation of leucocytes labelled with technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime in malignant abdominal tumours

A total of 343 leucocyte scans labelled with technetium-99m hexamethylprophylene amine oxime were reviewed that had been performed patients suspected of having abdominal infection or inflammation. There was uptake by malignant abdominal tumours in 10 cases (2,9%), which represents 62.5% of known malignancies at the time of the scintigram. Accumulation was seen in 8 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon associated with a secondary infection in the tumour or pericolic inflammation. A large tumour that had spread beyond the bowel wall was related to a positive scintigram. Accumulation was also found twice in a malignant fibrous histiocytoma in which bleeding and an inflammatory reaction to necrosis were probably responsible for the uptake. The relevant treatment was delayed for 2 weeks-2 months in 4 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon in whom the positive uptake was regarded as confirmation of the clinically suspected cute diverticulitis. (orig.)