[99mTc]Duramycin single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of apoptosis was evaluated in a mouse model of colorectal cancer treated with irinotecan and validated ex vivo using autoradiography, cleaved caspase-3, and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) histology of the tumors. This evidence concerns the gene DNTT and colorectal cancer.