Abstract
The search for radiopharmaceuticals with an affinity for malignant tumors has been continuous but to date there has been no effective compound available. We used 201Tl chloride for head and neck tumor scanning and made scintigrams.
Each patient was given 2mCi of 201TlCl i. v. and scintiscans were made for 5 min. after injection. The apparatus used was a Nuclear Chicago's Pho-Gamma HP and the present count was 200K.
In normal cases, 201TlCl was incorporated into the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, oral cavity, salivary gland, and thyroid gland.
Among the 11 cases of head and neck malignant tumors, 7 cases, including cancer of the maxillary sinus, inverted papilloma of the maxillary sinus, cancer of the tonsil and cancer of larynx reacted positively to the scanning.
In these 7 cases, a scanning with 57Co-BLM was also positive.
In some cases, the affected area and the physiological accumulation of 201TlCl overlapped and assessment of the scintiscans was difficult. The advantages of 201TlCl are as follows:
(1) 201TlCl does not accumulate in bones.
(2) Scanning can be started 5min. after injection and the result can be obtained in twenty or thirty minutes.
201TlCl is a nuclide considered to be applicable to malignant tumors in the head and neck areas.
