Gallium (67Ga) scan was performed in 29 CLL patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who were suspected on clinical grounds to have Richter's transformation (RT). Of 29 patients, nine had a positive 67Ga scan; seven of these had a subsequent biopsy that verified large-cell lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease. The other two patients underwent biopsies that revealed fungal infections, a known cause of 67Ga uptake. Two patients had biopsies that were consistent with RT but showed no affinity to 67Ga. One false negative resulted five days after chemotherapy, a known cause of diminished 67Ga uptake. The other occurred within a small infraorbital mass, containing only 10% centroblasts, which is below the level of detection for 67Ga scanning. Subsequent 67Ga scans in both patients revealed 67Ga avid lesions, which demonstrated RT upon biopsy. This technique was more strongly predictive of RT than was measurement of serum B-2 microglobulin or serum lactate dehydrogenase levels. 67Ga scanning is very useful in localizing an optimal site for biopsy to document RT; it may also have the potential to help assess response to treatment, predict recurrence, and contribute to long-term follow-up in this subset of patients.

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Progress has been made in the adjuvant treatment of colorectal carcinoma. The improvement in survival with the use of adjuvant 5-FU and leucovorin in patients with stage III colon carcinoma has been readily established. However, a survival benefit in stage II patients treated with adjuvant therapy remains unproven. Further evaluation using additional/new prognostic factors may identify a high-risk stage II group that would benefit from adjuvant treatment. Adjuvant chemoradiation has become standard therapy for stage II and III patients with rectal carcinoma. Investigations using preoperative combined-modality therapy are being explored to assess sphincter preservation rates and to evaluate any impact on survival. Radiosensitizing chemotherapeutic agents need to be evaluated in this patient population. Recent advances in metastatic disease have occurred. Frontline therapy remains 5-FU and leucovorin. CPT-11 has demonstrated responses in 5-FU relapsed and refractory patients and is the new standard therapy in these patients. New data recently available also show a survival advantage in patients treated with CPT-11 versus supportive care in 5-FU and leucovorin failures. New agents such as UFT and oxaliplatin have demonstrated activity in colorectal carcinomas and in the future these agents will likely aid in the treatment of this disease.

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