The present invention relates to compounds and related technetium and
rhenium complexes thereof which are suitable for imaging or therapeutic
treatment of tumors, e.g., carcinomas, melanomas and other tumors. In
another embodiment, the invention relates to methods of imaging tumors
using radiolabeled metal complexes. Preferred radiolabeled complexes for
imaging tumors include technetium and rhenium complexes. The high tumor
uptake and significant tumor/nontumor ratios of the technetium complexes
of the invention indicate that such small technetium-99m-based molecular
probes can be developed as in-vivo diagnostic agents for melanoma and its
metastases. In yet another embodiment, the invention relates to methods
of treatment of tumors using a radiolabeled metal complex as a
radiopharmaceutical agent to treat the tumor.