THERE ARE NO SENSITIVE METHODS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF METASTASES AND LYMPH NODE INVOLVEMENT IN HUMAN SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (SCC) OF THE HEAD AND NECK REGION.

THERE ARE NO SENSITIVE METHODS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF METASTASES AND LYMPH NODE INVOLVEMENT IN HUMAN SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (SCC) OF THE HEAD AND NECK REGION. RADIOIMMUNODETECTION IS CAPABLE OF HIGH RESOLUTION AND SENSITIVITY IN LOCATING TUMORS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PROPOSAL IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS FOR RADIOIMMUNODETECTION IN PATIENTS WITH SCC OF THE HEAD AND NECK. THE SPECIFIC AIM OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO EVALUATE 20 HIGHLY SCC TUMOR-ASSOCIATED AND POSSIBLY TUMOR-SPECIFIC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES PRODUCED AT INTEK FOR USE IN RADIOIMMUNODETECTION. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF PHASE I INCLUDES: 1.A RELEVANT NUDE MOUSE MODEL WHICH WILL HOST HISTOLOGICALLY EQUIVALENT HUMAN XENOGRAFTS (175MM IN DIAMETER) IN THE HEAD AND NECK REGION FOR THE ONGOING EVALUATION OF SCC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES; 2.SELECTION OF SCC MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES AND RADIOLABELING PROCEDURES THAT LEAD TO IMAGING OF TUMORS WITH HIGH SENSITIVITY IN THE NUDE MOUSE MODEL; 3.IMPROVED IMAGING CAPABILITY WITH COMBINATIONS OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES. THOSE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES SELECTED IN PHASE I AS POTENTIAL RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS FOR IMAGING SCC WILL BE EVALUATED IN A LARGE-SCALE CLINICAL STUDY IN PHASE II. DEMONSTRATION OF DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITY WILL REALIZE THE INTRODUCTION OF RADIOIMMUNODETECTION IN SCC.