[Detection of the cutaneous melanomas, their metastasis and relapses by scintigraphies with 99MTC-HMPAO]. / Detección de melanomas cutáneos, sus metástasis y recidivas mediante gammagrafías con 99mTc-HMPAO.

A pilot study was carried out in the Nuclear Medicine Department of the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology to learn the diagnostic efficacy of the 99mTc-HMPAO scintigraphy in the detection of cutaneous melanoma, distant and local metastases, in patients with a confirmed histological diagnosis. The planar and/or SPECT scintigraphy was performed in 17 patients and revealed 90% sensitivity for the detection of the disease. We calculated the tumor/background index in all the images obtained and found a value greater than 1 in every case. Thus, we can affirm that the 99mTc-HMPAO accumulation in tumors was higher than the background in all cases. We recommend that this procedure be considered in the follow up of these patients as a new diagnostic method which is very useful in the determination of the patient stage and prognostic evaluation.

[Radionuclide study of cutaneous melanomas with 99m Tc-HMPAO: visualization of metastases and recurrence]. / Estudio gammagráfico de los melanomas cutáneos con 99m Tc-HMPAO: visualización de metástasis y recidivas.

Malignant cutaneous melanoma (MCM) is a very aggressive disease that becomes in a true problem of health because of the increase in the last 5 years. In the present paper, authors report the detection of the tumor, metastases and recurrences mean 99mTc HMPAO. We presented 5 cases of MCM patients and observed the radiopharmaceutical uptake in skin, nodules and recurrent tumor lesions. Because of the number of patients was limited, authors recommended the research with a lot of patients. The gammagraphic studies could be very important for the staging of the disease and early detection of metastases and recurrent lesions.