Tomographic gallium-67 citrate scanning: useful new surveillance for metastatic melanoma

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · Ann. Intern. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-97-5-694· OSTI ID:6190803

Kirkwood, J M; Myers, J E; Vlock, D R; Neumann, R; Ariyan, S; Gottschalk, A; Hoffer, P

Conventional gallium scans are not useful to evaluate patients with metastatic melanoma. We evaluated a new method of tomographic gallium imaging. One hundred fourteen tomographic scans were obtained in a prospective surveillance study of 67 patients over a 3-year period. Scans were evaluated and compared to findings of independent clinical evaluations. Sensitivity of gallium identification of tumor involving peripheral lymph nodes and soft tissues, abdomen, mediastinum, and osseous sites was 68% to 100%; overall sensitivity of this technique is 82% with specificity of 99% in 570 organ system assessments. Analysis of discordant findings when a site was clinically occult but gallium-positive showed gallium uptake to be true-positive in six of seven lymphatic sites, three of three lung and mediastinal sites, six of six abdominal sites, but in no brain or bone sites. Gallium lesions identified by computed tomographic scans proved to be false-positive at one lymphatic and one bone site, and false-negative at four otherwise clinically evident lymph node and soft tissue sites, seven pulmonary sites, and four brain sites. Gallium tomographic scanning provides a composite assessment of melanoma and may eliminate the need for other studies.

• Research Organization: Yale Univ. School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
• OSTI ID: 6190803
• Journal Information: Ann. Intern. Med.; (United States), Journal Name: Ann. Intern. Med.; (United States) Vol. 97:5; ISSN AIMEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550601* -- Medicine-- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
BODY AREAS
BRAIN
CAT SCANNING
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CHEST
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
GALLIUM 67
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
GALLIUM ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LUNGS
LYMPH NODES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
MEDIASTINUM
MELANOMAS
METASTASES
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
PATIENTS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SKELETON
TOMOGRAPHY