Accumulation of Tc-99m depreotide (NeoSpect) in axillary sweat glands

Tc-99m depreotide (NeoSpect) is a radiolabeled somatostatin analog introduced recently for scintigraphic imaging of patients with lung cancer. Eighteen patients were examined 2 to 4 hours after administration of 740 MBq mCi Tc-99m depreotide. In 13 patients (72.2%) bilateral symmetric activity corresponding to the large, deep apocrine sweat glands of the axillae was present. This observation is clinically relevant regardless of its reason or mechanism. It is important to be aware of this reason for activity in the axillae when assessing lymph node involvement not only in patients with lung cancer but also in breast cancer patients using scintigraphy with Tc-99m depreotide.