[Preliminary clinical application of new bone marrow imaging agent 99mTc-polyphase liposome in malignant lymphoma]

Bone marrow (BM) imaging with 99mTc-polyphase liposome in 30 malignant lymphoma patients demonstrated that central BM hypoplasia accounted for 90% (28/30) and peripheral BM hypoplasia 20% (6/30) with peripheral BM expansion of 80% (23/30). Focal BM lesion was shown in 7 patients which conformed with the results of bone imaging and X-ray film. The uptake index of BM in patients treated with chemotherapy was low as compared to that in patients treated with radiotherapy (P less than 0.05). Although BM suppression by chemotherapy was more severe than by radiotherapy, BM function essentially recovered 1 month after cessation of chemotherapy, on the other hand, while central BM suppression by radiotherapy was mild, it lasted for longer periods of time. Peripheral BM suppression by radiotherapy was both shorter in duration and milder in severity in comparison with central BM suppression. BM imaging is valuable for the understanding of BM function, ascertainment of the appropriate interval between treatments and early detection of local BM involvement.