Gallium-67 scanning in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The findings of Gallium-67 scans in eleven patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were reviewed and compared to those of chest CT findings. All patients had an abnormal thoracic Ga-67 accumulation. Six out of 11 showed a diffuse accumulation over the entire involved hemithorax and a localized uptake was shown in 5. A marked diffuse thickening of pleura in the absence of adequate gallium accumulation was observed in one patient. Two out of 11 had a reduction of gallium uptake after having combination chemotherapy. These results suggest that a diffusely increased uptake over the entire involved hemithorax is the most characteristic finding of Ga-67 scan in malignant pleural mesothelioma, and that Ga-67 scans may be helpful as a valuable indicator of the proper therapy. However, the superiority of Ga-67 scan to thoracic CT as a means of determining the extent of disease process could not be verified.
Nakano
T
T
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan.
Maeda
J
J
Iwahashi
N
N
Tamura
S
S
Hada
T
T
Higashino
K
K
D015250:Aclarubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006801:Humans; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014054:Tomography; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; C011157:aclacinomycins; D014750:Vincristine; D015250:Aclarubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide