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A new 90Y SIR-Spheres delivery kit (SIROS D-vial and shield) has been introduced with a different physical form from the legacy V-Vial kit. Here, we establish the dose calibrator settings and exposure-rate–to–activity conversion factor to assay 90Y SIR-Spheres activity in the new SIROS kit. Methods: Eight D-vials with initial 90Y activities from 1.2 to 6.6 GBq within acrylic shields were assayed with dose calibrators and exposure-rate meters until activities decayed to approximately 0.1 GBq. The dose calibrator settings resulting in the lowest median activity errors and the best-fit slope of exposure rate versus activity were identified. Results: SIROS D-vial 90Y activity can be accurately and reliably estimated directly using setting 51 × 10 on both the CRC-15R and the CRC-55tR dose calibrators (errors within ±0.5%) and indirectly with an exposure-rate reading at 30 cm using conversion factor 0.664 ± 0.003 GBq/(mR/h) (R2 = 0.985). Conclusion: Dose calibrator settings and exposure-rate–to–activity conversion factor for 90Y activity assays with new SIROS kit should be updated from legacy V-Vial parameters to avoid an approximately 10% underestimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is intended to introduce nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) to the nuances of radiopharmaceutical therapy clinical trials. Here, we outline the potential roles and responsibilities of the NMT in clinical trials and provide context on different aspects of radionuclide therapy. The regulatory process involving investigational therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals is seldom taught to NMT students, nor is it included in the entry-level nuclear medicine certification examinations. Often, NMTs must spend significant time preparing for therapeutic clinical trials on their own, using multiple academic sources, seeking advice from various health care professionals, and reviewing numerous trial-specific manuals to recognize the detailed requirements. The emergence of theranostics has spurred an increase in the development of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Investigators with a robust nuclear medicine background are required to help develop successful therapeutic clinical trials, and well-informed NMTs are crucial to the success of such trials. This article follows a series of previous publications from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Clinical Trials Network research series for technologists and is intended to guide the investigational radiopharmaceutical landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current molecular breast imaging (MBI) images are limited to qualitative evaluation, not absolute measurement, of 99mTc uptake in benign and malignant breast tissues. Purpose: This work assesses the accuracy of previously‐published and newly‐proposed tumor and normal breast tissue 99mTc uptake MBI measurements using simulations of a commercial dual‐headed planar MBI system under typical clinical and acquisition protocols. Methods: Quantification techniques were tested in over 4000 simulated acquisitions of spherical and ellipsoid tumors with clinically relevant uptake conditions using a validated Monte Carlo application of the GE Discovery NM750b system. The evaluated techniques consisted of four tumor total activity methodologies (two single‐detector‐based and two geometric‐mean‐based), two tumor MBI volume methodologies (diameter‐based and ROI‐based), and two normal tissue activity concentration methodologies (single‐detector‐based and geometric‐mean‐based). The most accurate of these techniques were then used to estimate tumor activity concentrations and tumor to normal tissue relative activity concentrations (RC). Results: Single‐detector techniques for tumor total activity quantification achieved mean (standard deviation) relative errors of 0.2% (4.3%) and 1.6% (4.4%) when using the near and far detector images, respectively and were more accurate and precise than the measured 8.1% (5.8%) errors of a previously published geometric‐mean technique. Using these activity estimates and the true tumor volumes resulted in tumor activity concentration and RC errors within 10% of simulated values. The precision of tumor activity concentration and RC when using only MBI measurements were largely driven by the errors in estimating tumor MBI volume using planar images (± 30% inter‐quartile range). Conclusions: Planar MBI images were shown to accurately and reliably be used to estimate tumor total activities and normal tissue activity concentrations in this simulation study. However, volumetric tumor uptake measurements (i.e., absolute and relative concentrations) are limited by inaccuracies in MBI volume estimation using two‐dimensional images, highlighting the need for either tomographic MBI acquisitions or anatomical volume estimates for accurate three‐dimensional tumor uptake estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy and biases of predicted lung shunt fraction (LSF) and lung dose (LD) calculations via 99mTc‐macro‐aggregated albumin (99mTc‐MAA) planar imaging for treatment planning of 90Y‐microsphere radioembolization. Methods and materials: LSFs in 52 planning and LDs in 44 treatment procedures were retrospectively calculated, in consecutive radioembolization patients over a 2 year interval, using 99mTc‐MAA planar and SPECT/CT imaging. For each procedure, multiple planar LSFs and LDs were calculated using different: (1) contours, (2) views, (3) liver 99mTc‐MAA shine‐through compensations, and (4) lung mass estimations. The accuracy of each planar‐based LSF and LD methodology was determined by calculating the median (range) absolute difference from SPECT/CT‐based LSF and LD values, which have been demonstrated in phantom and patient studies to more accurately and reliably quantify the true LSF and LD values. Results: Standard‐of‐care LSF using geometric mean of lung and liver contours had median (range) absolute over‐estimation of 4.4 percentage points (pp) (0.9 to 11.9 pp) from SPECT/CT LSF. Using anterior views only decreased LSF errors (2.4 pp median, −1.1 to +5.7 pp range). Planar LD over‐estimations decreased when using single‐view versus geometric‐mean LSF (1.3 vs. 2.6 Gy median and 7.2 vs. 18.5 Gy maximum using 1000 g lung mass) but increased when using patient‐specific versus standard‐man lung mass (2.4 vs. 1.3 Gy median and 11.8 vs. 7.2 Gy maximum using single‐view LSF). Conclusions: Calculating planar LSF from lung and liver contours of a single view and planar LD using that same LSF and 1000 g lung mass was found to improve accuracy and minimize bias in planar lung dosimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There are no published data on organ doses following intra‐hepatic‐arterial administration of 99mTc‐macroaggregated‐albumin (IHA 99mTc‐MAA) routinely used in 90Y‐radioembolization treatment planning to assess intra‐ and extra‐hepatic depositions and calculate lung‐shunt‐fraction (LSF). We propose a method to model the organ doses following IHA 99mTc‐MAA that incorporates three in vivo constituent biodistributions, the 99mTc‐MAA that escape the liver due to LSF, and the 99mTc‐MAA dissociation fraction (DF). Methods: The potential in vivo biodistributions for IHA 99mTc‐MAA are: Liver‐Only MAA with all activity sequestered in the liver (LSF = 0&DF = 0), Intravenous MAA with all activity transferred intravenously as 99mTc‐MAA (LSF = 1&DF = 0), and Intravenous Pertechnetate with all activity is transferred intravenously as 99mTc‐pertechnetate (LSF = 0&DF = 1). Organ doses for Liver‐Only MAA were determined using OLINDA/EXM 2.2, where liver was modeled as the source organ containing 99mTc‐MAA, while those for Intravenous MAA and Intravenous Pertechnetate were from ICRP 128. Organ doses for the general case can be determined as a weighted‐linear‐combination of the three constituent biodistributions depending on the LSF and DF. The maximum‐dose scenario was modeled by selecting the highest dose rate for each organ amongst the three constituent cases. Results: For Liver‐Only MAA, the liver as source organ received the highest dose at 98.6 and 126 mGy/GBq for the adult male and adult female phantoms, respectively; all remaining organs received <27 and <32 mGy/GBq. For Intravenous MAA, the lung as source organ received the highest dose at 66 and 97 mGy/GBq; all remaining organs received <16 and <21 mGy/GBq. The organ with the highest dose for Intravenous Pertechnetate was the upper‐large‐intestinal wall at 56 and 73 mGy/GBq; all remaining organs received <26 and <34 mGy/GBq. The liver and lung doses for the maximum‐dose scenario with 5 mCi (185 MBq) 99mTc‐MAA were estimated at 18.2 and 12.2 mGy, and 23.3 and 17.9 mGy, for the adult male and adult female phantoms, respectively. Conclusion: Organ dose estimates following IHA 99mTc‐MAA based on constituent biodistribution models and patient‐specific LSF and DF values have been derived. Liver and lung were the organs with highest dose, receiving at most 15–25 mGy in the maximum‐dose scenario, following 5 mCi IHA 99mTc‐MAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]