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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2025; 46(01): 071-076
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1787303
Original Article

131I-mIBG Therapy in the Management of High-Risk Neuroblastoma: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Level Hospital in South India

A.R. Vishnu
1   Department of Nuclear Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Saumya Sunny
1   Department of Nuclear Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Julie Hephzibah
1   Department of Nuclear Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Leni G. Mathew
2   Department of Paediatric Oncology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Rikki Rorima John
2   Department of Paediatric Oncology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Abstract

Introduction Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. The data on the treatment experience with 131iodine-meta-iodo-benzyl-guanidine (131I-mIBG) and clinical outcome data are meager from India.

Objectives This article studies the efficacy and treatment outcomes in patients treated with 131I-mIBG in high-risk neuroblastoma.

Materials and Methods The study group consisted of 201 consecutive patients (aged between 1 and 15 years) with biopsy-proven neuroblastoma who underwent 131I-mIBG scans from 2012 to 2022. The majority of these children had a disease that was inoperable or had poor response to chemotherapy. Patients with positive scintigraphy were considered for therapy with 131I-mIBG. The findings were analyzed and correlated with the final diagnosis and outcomes obtained from survival during follow-up and reviewing patient records.

Results Thirty-nine children, 22 males and 17 females, with a median age of 4 years had positive 131I-mIBG scintigraphy. Intra-abdominal primary lesions and osseous lesions were the most common sites of uptake on 131I-mIBG scan. Of these, 13 had upfront chemotherapy and 26 had surgery followed by chemotherapy. All the patients underwent therapy with 131I-mIBG. Fourteen patients had multiple therapies while the remaining 25 had only one therapy. Eight patients had no follow-up, and 13 had disease relapse. The remaining 18 had regression of disease which was confirmed by follow-up 131I-mIBG scintigraphy and with bone scintigraphy in patients with osseous metastases.

Conclusion 131I-mIBG scintigraphy should be preferred in intermediate and high-risk neuroblastoma to know the extent of the disease and also for patient selection for early therapy with 131I-mIBG. It holds significant utility in the management of metastatic neuroblastoma, facilitating palliative pain relief and tumor size reduction in inoperable or metastatic disease.

Keywords

neuroblastoma - 131I-mIBG - 131I-mIBG therapy

Note

The manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, that the requirements for authorship have been met, and each author believes that the manuscript represents honest work.


Patient Consent

Waiver of consent form obtained as it's a retrospective study.




Publication History

Article published online:
18 July 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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