Repeatability of glomerular filtration rate studies performed using 99mTc-DTPA in a population including cancer...

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measurement remains an integral investigation in clinical practice and is particularly important in the prediction and follow-up of renal side-effects of nephrotoxic chemotherapy in cancer patients. Knowing the coefficient of variation (CV) of a test is vital for the correct interpretation of serial studies. Recent difficulties with 51Cr-EDTA availability have renewed interest in 99mTc-DTPA, but there is a paucity of data on the test-retest variability of this radiopharmaceutical. Furthermore, the authors are unaware of published repeatability data in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the CV of repeat 99mTc-DTPA GFR measurements in a clinical patient population that included cancer patients.

Patients who had undergone ≥2 GFR studies at our department between January 2009 and December 2019 were retrospectively identified. Patients with chronic kidney disease and those who had received chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery between measurements were excluded. The CV for each patient was calculated and the mean CVs of cancer and prospective renal donor groups were calculated and compared.

Fifty-four patients were included in the final analysis. The mean CV in the cancer group (38 patients) was 8.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.9-10.2%] and in the renal donor group (16 patients) 7.1% (95% CI 4.2-10.1%). These figures did not differ significantly (P = 0.37). The groups were combined to calculate the final overall mean CV of 8.1% (95% CI 6.7-9.6%).

In both non-cancer and cancer patients the CV of GFR studies performed with 99mTc-DTPA was comparable with mostly 51Cr-EDTA figures presented in literature.