title: Gallium-67 citrate imaging in head and neck tumors: report of Cooperative Group.
abstract: This report summarizes the experiences of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Cooperative Group with the scanning of head and neck cancer using carrier-free gallium-67 citrate. Central nervous system and thyroid tumors and lymphomas were excluded. Fifty-six percent of primary head and neck tumors and their metastases were detected in 65 patients. The detection rates for primary and metastatic lesions were similar. Results of 1306 scans on patients with many types of cancer and suspicion of head and neck involvement indicate that a positive gallium scan was associated with tumor involvement five to nine times as often as no tumor, but a negative scan cannot reliably rule out involvement. In head and neck tumors, both primary and metastatic, lesions over 3 cm in diameter had a significantly higher detection rate than smaller lesions. Previous radiation or surgery did not affect accuracy.
mesh_terms: D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging
chemical_list: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes