On August 1, 2022 Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: NAVB) ("Navidea" or the "Company"), a company focused on the development of precision immunodiagnostic agents and immunotherapeutics, reported the publication of a manuscript titled "Tilmanocept as a novel tracer for lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma and oral cancer," based on work performed at the Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre ("CPMCC") at the University of Sydney, in Sydney, Australia (Press release, Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, AUG 1, 2022, View Source [SID1234617191]). The research, appearing in the ANZ Journal of Surgery (PMID: 35848587), was led by Principal Investigator Dr. Muzib Abdul-Razak, MBBS, FRACS, FRCSE, MCh., of the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgical Oncology and Head and Neck Surgery in the CPMCC at the University of Sydney.
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Sentinel lymph node biopsy ("SLNB") is widely accepted as an important clinical step in staging cutaneous melanoma ("CM") and is also a validated procedure to stage the neck in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma ("OCSCC"). Despite this widespread acceptance, several different radiocolloids and dyes have been used, resulting in a non-standardized method of localizing and retrieving sentinel lymph nodes. Tc99m tilmanocept (approved as "Lymphoseek" in the US, EU, and the United Kingdom; "Lymphoaim" in India) was developed to overcome limitations of radiocolloids (lack of specific binding sites in the lymph nodes, for example, resulting in higher than desired false negative rates in some studies) and acts by selectively targeting and binding CD206 receptors on the surface of macrophages and dendritic cells. The use of Tc99m tilmanocept as a radiopharmaceutical for SLNB in CM and OCSCC has not been studied in Australia to date. This prospective study had as its aim the investigation of Tc99m tilmanocept use to evaluate its application, suitability, and reliability in an Australian setting.
A total of thirty-five patients were included in this study (N=26 with CM; N=9 with OCSCC). Lymphoscintigraphy with Tc99m tilmanocept identified at least 1 SLN (sensitivity of 100%) in all patients. There was a 100% intraoperative retrieval rate of SLNs in all patients, with positive nodes found in 20% of patients. Tc99m tilmanocept also demonstrated high tissue specificity (100%), with lymph nodal tissue confirmed histologically, with no false positives.
This is the first study to evaluate the use of Tc99m tilmanocept in the Australian setting, adding to a growing list of studies worldwide, and further supports that Tc99m tilmanocept is a reliable radiotracer for assessing the nodal status in patients with CM and OCSCC.
Dr. Michael Rosol, Chief Medical Officer for Navidea, said, "We are delighted to see the continued exploration of the utility of Lymphoseek for sentinel node biopsy in solid tumors. This study provides further support that Lymphoseek can provide high sensitivity and specificity for detection of sentinel nodes and supports our continued expansion of Lymphoseek outside of North America."
Dr. Abdul-Razak said, "This first-of-its-kind study in the Australian setting provides additional evidence that Tc99m tilmanocept based lymphoscintigraphy is both a feasible and an accurate method for assessing nodal status in patients with CM and OCSCC. Furthermore, our study adds to the growing body of literature supporting its use for these indications."