Radiology, Vol 127, 719-725, Copyright © 1978 by Radiological Society of North America
Scintigraphic evaluation of childhood malignancies by 67Ga-citrate
C Bekerman, RB Port, E Pang, JW Moohr and JK Kranzler
The utility and limitations of 67Ga scintigraphy in children with solid
tumors were evaluated. Thirty-five patients with malignancies (13
lymphoreticular neoplasms, 11 soft-tissue sarcomas, 8 neuroblastomas, and 3
primary bone tumors) had a 67Ga-citrate scan as part of their clinical
evaluation. The sensitivity and specificity of the test were analyzed for
the different tumor types. The overall sensitivity of the 67Ga-citrate scan
for the lymphoma group was 87%. Higher values were obtained for the
mediastinal and abdominal regions. Ninety-three per cent of the involved
sites were correctly identified by 67Ga scintigraphy in the soft-tissue
sarcoma group. Small lung metastases, however, were missed on scan. Thus,
67Ga scans should be complemented with chest radiographs and whole chest
tomograms for both initial evaluation and follow-up in those patients. 67Ga
had low sensitivity for neuroblastoma.
