Interferon-alpha induced changes in CEA expression in patients with CEA-producing tumours

• Published in: European journal of nuclear medicine Vol. 27; no. 2; pp. 209 - 213
• Main Authors: VERHAAR-LANGEREIS, M. J, BONGERS, V, DE KLERK, J. M. H, VAN DIJK, A, BLIJHAM, G. H, ZONNENBERG, B. A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.02.2000; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoembryonic Antigen - biosynthesis; Combined treatments (chemotherapy of immunotherapy associated with an other treatment); Female; Humans; Interferon-alpha - pharmacology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Neoplasms - metabolism; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Radioimmunodetection - methods; Technetium; Radionuclide study; Human; Targeting; Alpha interferon; Technetium; Scintigraphy; Gene expression; Retention; Immunoradiodiagnosis; Carcinoembryonic antigen; Improvement; Distribution; Medical imagery; Tumor; Feasibility; Diagnosis
• ISSN: 0340-6997; 1619-7070; 1619-7089
• DOI: 10.1007/s002590050029

Enhancement of antigen expression could result in improved tumour targeting using antibodies directed to the antigen. In this study we performed radioimmunoscintigraphy using 99mTc-CEA-Scan to analyse the effect of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) in enhancing the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in ten patients with CEA-producing tumours. Furthermore, we investigated the feasibility of a future therapeutic study with this antibody fragment labelled with rhenium-186. Although IFN-alpha gave rise to a significant increase in antibody uptake by the tumour, the absolute antibody uptake in the tumour appeared to be poor, with a mean of 0.475% of injected dose (ID) in the tumour before IFN-alpha, rising to 0.562% ID in the tumour after IFN-alpha. Pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated no significant alterations after IFN-alpha. In conclusion, the administration of IFN-alpha is an attractive way to achieve enhanced tumour targeting, although the increase was of little clinical significance in this patient population and using this antibody fragment.