[(123)I]MIBG is a better early marker of anthracycline cardiotoxicity than [(18)F]FDG: a preclinical SPECT/CT and simultaneous PET/MR study

BACKGROUND: During anthracycline treatment of cancer, there is a lack for biomarkers of cardiotoxicity besides the cardiac dysfunction. The objective of the present study was to compare [(18)F]FDG and [(123)I]MIBG (metaiodobenzylguanidine) in a longitudinal study in a doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity rat model. METHODS: Male Wistar Han rats were intravenously administered 3 times at 10 days’ interval with saline or doxorubicin (5 mg/kg). [(123)I]MIBG SPECT/CT (single photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography) and simultaneous [(18)F]FDG PET (positron emission tomography)/7 Tesla cardiac MR (magnetic resonance) imaging acquisitions were performed at 24 h interval before first doxorubicin / saline injection and every 2 weeks during 6 weeks. At 6 weeks, the heart tissue was collected for histomorphometry measurements. RESULTS: At week 4, left ventricle (LV) end-diastolic volume was significantly reduced in the doxorubicin group. At week 6, the decreased LV end-diastolic volume was maintained, and LV end-systolic volume was increased resulting in a significant reduction of LV ejection fraction (47 ± 6% vs. 70 ± 3%). At weeks 4 and 6, but not at week 2, myocardial [(18)F]FDG uptake was decreased compared with the control group (respectively, 4.2 ± 0.5%ID/g and 9.2 ± 0.8%ID/g at week 6). Moreover, [(18)F]FDG cardiac uptake correlated with cardiac function impairment. In contrast, from week 2, a significant decrease of myocardial [(123)I]MIBG heart to mediastinum ratio was detected in the doxorubicin group and was maintained at weeks 4 and 6 with a 45.6% decrease at week 6. CONCLUSION: This longitudinal study precises that after doxorubicin treatment, cardiac [(123)I]MIBG uptake is significantly reduced as early as 2 weeks followed by the decrease of the LV end-diastolic volume and [(18)F]FDG uptake at 4 weeks and finally by the increase of LV end-systolic volume and decrease of LV ejection fraction at 6 weeks. Cardiac innervation imaging should thus be considered as an early key feature of anthracycline cardiac toxicity. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13550-021-00835-1.