Scintigraphic Response by 123I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine Scan Correlates With Event-Free Survival in High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Abstract
Purpose To investigate whether response to induction therapy, evaluated by metaiodobenzylguanadine (MIBG) and bone scintigraphy, correlates with event-free survival (EFS) in children with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). Patients and Methods Twenty-nine high-risk NB patients were treated prospectively with an intensive induction regimen and consolidated with three cycles of high-dose therapy with peripheral blood stem-cell rescue. The scintigraphic response was evaluated by MIBG and bone scans using a semi-quantitative scoring system. The prognostic significance of the imaging scores at diagnosis and following induction therapy was evaluated. Results A trend associating worse 4-year EFS rates for patients with versus without osteomedullary uptake on MIBG scintigraphs at diagnosis was seen (35% ± 11% v 80% ± 18%, respectively; P = .13). Similarly, patients with positive bone scans at diagnosis had worse EFS than those with negative scans, although the difference did not receive statistical significance (34% ±...

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