USE OF TL-201 TO DETECT UNTREATED PEDIATRIC HODGKIN DISEASE

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of thallium-201 scintigrams in depiction of supradiaphragmatic lymphadenopathy associated with newly diagnosed Hodgkin disease in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thallium-201 and gallium-67 scans of the chest and neck were obtained in 33 consecutive patients. Mediastinal, cervical, supraclavicular, and axillary lymph node activity was evaluated by independent raters, and results were compared in a blinded fashion with those on chest computed tomographic(CT)scans. RESULTS: Gallium and thallium scans demonstrated similar accuracy in depiction of CT-defined mediastinal masses. The K statistic indicated moderate to strong agreement with CT results. Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference between the accuracy of thallium and gallium scans in depiction of extra-mediastinal lymphadenopathy. CONCLUSION: Thallium scintigraphy is effective for depiction of lymphadenopathy in pediatric patients with untreated Hodgkin disease. Serial thallium studies may provide an alternative to gallium scans in monitoring response to treatment.