PET imaging with the non-pure positron emitters: (55)Co, (86)Y and (124)I.

PET/CT with non-pure positron emitters is a highly valuable tool in immuno-PET and for pretherapeutic dosimetry. However, imaging is complicated by prompt gamma coincidences (PGCs) that add an undesired background activity to the images. Time-of-flight (TOF) reconstruction improves lesion detectability in (18)F-PET and can potentially also improve the signal-to-noise ratio in images acquired with non-pure positron emitters. Using the GE Discovery 690 PET/CT system, we evaluated the image quality with (55)Co, (86)Y and (124)I, and the effect of PGC-correction and TOF-reconstruction on image quality and quantitation in a series of phantom studies. PET image quality and quantitation for all isotopes were significantly affected by PGCs. The effect was most severe with (86)Y, and less, but comparable, with (55)Co and (124)I. PGC-correction improved the image quality and the quantitation accuracy dramatically for all isotopes, especially when the activity was limited to a few hot lesions in a warm background. In imaging situations, where high levels of activity were present in the background, activity concentrations were overestimated. TOF-reconstruction improved image quality in isolated lesions but worsened the accuracy of quantitation and uniformity in homogeneous activity distributions. Better modelling of PGCs in the scatter correction can potentially improve the situation.

Production and dosimetric aspects of the potent Auger emitter 58mCo for targeted radionuclide therapy of small tumors.

PURPOSE: Based on theoretical calculations, the Auger emitter 58mCo has been identified as a potent nuclide for targeted radionuclide therapy of small tumors. During the production of this isotope, the coproduction of the long-lived ground state 58gCo is unfortunately unavoidable, as is ingrowth of the ground state following the isomeric decay of 58mCo. The impact of 58Co as a beta(+)- and gamma-emitting impurity should be included in the dosimetric analysis. The purpose of this study was to investigate this critical part of dosimetry based on experimentally determined production yields of 58mCo and 58gCo using a low-energy cyclotron. Also, the cellular S-values for 58mCo have been calculated and are presented here for the first time. METHODS: 58mCo was produced via the 58Fe(p,n)58mCo nuclear reaction on highly enriched 58Fe metal. In addition, radiochemical separations of produced radio-cobalt from natFe target material were performed. The theoretical subcellular dosimetry calculations for 58mCo and 58gCo were performed using the MIRD formalism, and the impact of the increasing ground state impurity on the tumor-to-normal-tissue dose ratios (TND) per disintegration as a function of time after end of bombardment (EOB) was calculated. RESULTS: 192 +/- 8 MBq of 58mCo was produced in the irradiation corresponding to a production yield of 10.7 MBq/microAh. The activity of 58gCo was measured to be 0.85% +/- 0.04% of the produced 58mCo activity at EOB. The radio-cobalt yields in the rapid separations were measured to be > 97% with no detectable iron contaminations in the cobalt fractions. Due to the unavoidable coproduction and ingrowth of the long-lived ground state 58gCo, the TND and the potency of the 58mCo decrease with time after EOB. If a future treatment with a 58mCo labeled compound is not initiated before, e.g., 21 h after EOB, the resulting TND will be approximately 50% of the TND of 'pure' 58mCo as a result of the increased normal tissue dose from the ground state. CONCLUSIONS: The Auger emitter 58mCo is a potent radioisotope for targeted radionuclide therapy, and the production of therapeutic quantities should be achievable using a small biomedical cyclotron. However, the unavoidable coproduction and ingrowth of the long-lived ground state 58gCo requires fast radiochemical processing and use of future 58mCo-labeled radiopharmaceuticals in order to exploit the high achievable TND of 58mCo.

Medium to large scale radioisotope production for targeted radiotherapy using a small PET cyclotron.

In recent years the use of radionuclides in targeted cancer therapy has increased. In this study we have developed a high-current solid target system and demonstrated that by the use of a typical low-energy medical cyclotron, it is possible to produce tens of GBq's of many unconventional radionuclides relevant for cancer therapy such as (64)Cu and (119)Sb locally at the hospitals.

Production of the Auger emitter 119Sb for targeted radionuclide therapy using a small PET-cyclotron.

The use of Auger electrons in radionuclide therapy of cancer is a promising tool for specific tumor cell killing of micrometastases and small tumors. The radioisotope (119)Sb has recently been identified as a potent Auger-emitter for therapy. We here present a method for producing this isotope using a low-energy cyclotron. With this method, it will be possible to produce clinically relevant amounts of (119)Sb radioactivity with high chemical and radionuclidic purity for cancer therapy.

119Sb--a potent Auger emitter for targeted radionuclide therapy.

Auger electron emitting radionuclides in cancer therapy offer the opportunity to deliver a high radiation dose to the tumor cells with high radiotoxicity while minimizing toxicity to normal tissue. We have in this study identified the Auger emitter 119Sb as a potent nuclide for targeted radionuclide therapy based on theoretical dosimetry calculations at a subcellular scale. From these calculations we have determined the cellular S-values for this therapeutic isotope. Moreover, we have demonstrated the possibility of producing this isotope and also the SPECT-analogue 117Sb for patient-specific dosimetry, by measuring the proton irradiation yields for both isotopes using a low-energy cyclotron. The excellent SPECT imaging properties of the 117Sb radionuclide have been shown by scanning a Jaszczak SPECT Phantom.

Multiphonon vibrations at high angular momentum in 182 Os.

Evidence is presented for multiphonon excitations based on a high-spin (25 Planck) intrinsic state in the deformed nucleus 182 Os. Angular momentum generation by this mode competes with collective rotation. The experimental data are compared with tilted-axis cranking calculations, supporting the vibrational interpretation. However, the lower experimental energies provide evidence that more complex interactions of states are playing a role.