Imaging of pancreatic adenocarcinoma with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies

This review focuses on the potential of immunoscintigraphy with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies in patients with pancreatic cancer. The general limitations of tumor immunoscintigraphy are particularly important in the case of pancreatic cancer, because of the particular anatomic location, that is in close proximity with sites of physiologic high accumulation of radioactivity during such examinations (bone marrow in the spine, liver, spleen, and most of all kidneys). Thus, the role of immunoscintigraphy in patients with pancreatic cancer appears limited (except in peritoneal carcinosis), or not fully explored given the small cumulative number of patients evaluated so far with such scintigraphic procedure. Perspectives for development of the radiolabeled monoclonal antibody technology in patients with pancreatic cancer might be seen in the field of radioimmunotherapy and possibly radioimmuno-guided surgery.