⁶⁷Ga-Citrate Scintigraphy of Brain Tumors

Gone but Not Completely Forgotten: Pictorial Review of “Antiquated” Radiologic Procedures

“…The most commonly used contrast agent was 99 m Tc-pertechnetate, with a dosage of approximately 20 mCi. Other agents, including 67 Ga-citrate, were used for specific diagnostic questions, such as malignancy; however; results were limited (41). Medications, including atropine, could be concurrently administered to reduce false-positive results caused by uptake by the salivary gland and oral pertechnetate to inhibit false-positive results caused by uptake by the choroid plexus.…”

Atlas of Gallium-67 Scintigraphy

“…Negative findings on the 67-Ga scan must be considered inconclusive in the patient with melanoma, because almost half of all lesions are missed, particularly the small ones. In 1971, physicians at NIH proposed that the recognized specificity of 67-Ga, for many forms of neoplasia, might be used in conjunction with 99m-Tc pertechnetate for the detection of intracranial tumors (62,67). It was necessary to define a method for performing 67-Ga brain studies and then to compare its usefulness, in the detection of intracranial tumors, with the established brain scintigraphic technique utilizing 99m-Tc pertechnetate.…”

The gallium‐67 scan in clinical assessment of cancer

“…Central Nervous System. The first 21 patients evaluated with 67Ga for central nervous system (CNS) tumors showed localization of the radioactive agent by 19 (90%) of the 21 brain lesions (Jones et al, 1972). The two tumors which were not seen on scan were slow-growing, low grade astrocytomas.…”

“…Subsequent studies at Oak Ridge showed the gallium to be intracellular and associated with lysosome-like granules in the cytoplasm of tumor cells (Swartzendruber et al, 1971). These observations led t o in-depth studies at NIH (Frankel et al, in press;Larson et al, 1971Larson et al, , 1972Jones et al, 1972;Larson et al, 1973;Milder et al, in press;Kramer et al, in press) and elsewhere (Vaidya et a!., 1970;Winchell et al, 1970;Pinsky et al, 1971;Higasi et al, 1972;Lanhammer et al, 1972;De Land et al, in press;Greenlaw et al, in press;Johnston et al, in press) of the mechanisms of gallium incorporation in a variety of tumors and of how this information could be used clinically.…”