Tumour scintigraphy with gallium-67

The paper reviews the production and physical properties of 67Ga and the biological fate of 67Ga-citrate. Special emphasis is laid on the diagnostic use and limitations of 67Ga for tumour scintigraphy. On the basis of the authors' clinical and experimental data as well as on results in the literature, it is concluded that the diagnostic value of 67Ga-citrate as a tumour-localizing agent is limited by: (1) the non-specific uptake of 67Ga, i.e. its lack of tumour specificity, and (2) the fact that the sensitivity of tumour detection depends on the percentage uptake, the tumour-to-background ratio, tumour size and type, and the viability of the tumour cells. (author)