Labelled antibiotics as tumour-localizing agents

The published results of clinical and experimental studies of labelled bleomycins and tetracyclines are reviewed. None of the labelled antibiotics yet studied show anything approaching absolute tumour specificity. Clinical trials suggest that 57Co-bleomycin is superior to either 111In- or 99Tcsup(m)-bleomycin and that it may possess some advantages over 67Ga-citrate in respect of lower uptake in the abdomen and, possibly, lower uptakes in benign and inflammatory lesions. Radioiodine-labelled or 99Tcsup(m)-labelled tetracyclines appear to be of little value in tumour localization. (author)