Diffuse lung uptake of Ga-67 after treatment of lymphoma: is it of clinical importance?
OBJECTIVE
To determine if diffuse lung uptake (DLU) of gallium-67 at scintigraphy in patients with lymphoma is indicative of lymphomatous involvement of the lungs.


METHODS
Thirty-eight patients (24 male, 14 female; aged 15-76 years) with DLU were examined. The relation between DLU and lymphoma was investigated. Radiographic and computed tomographic findings and the persistence of Ga-67 uptake were investigated to detect lymphomatous involvement of the lungs. The relations between chemotherapy and radiation therapy, previous lung or heart disease, and DLU were also examined.


RESULTS
DLU appeared only during or after chemotherapy. No clinical, radiologic, or follow-up evidence indicated that patients with DLU had active lymphomatous involvement of the lungs. The difference in survival between patients with persistent and patients with transient DLU was not statistically significant. No statistically significant correlation between DLU and any possible inductive factor was indicated at multivariate analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
DLU after treatment does not indicate lymphomatous involvement of the lungs.
Bar-Shalom
R
R
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Israel
O
O
Haim
N
N
Leviov
M
M
Epelbaum
R
R
Frenkel
A
A
Ben-Haim
S
S
Kolodny
G M
GM
Front
D
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002951:Citrates; D019343:Citric Acid; D005260:Female; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D002951:Citrates; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D019343:Citric Acid