Comparison of technetium-99m tetrofosmin and gallium-67 citrate scintigraphy for detecting malignant lymphoma

The aim of this study was to compare the value of technetium-99m tetrofosmin (Tc-TF) scintigraphy with that of gallium-67 citrate (Ga-67) scintigraphy for detecting malignant lymphoma. In this study, 50 patients with malignant lymphoma underwent Tc-TF and Ga-67 scintigraphy before receiving any therapy. Tc-TF scintigraphy detected malignant lymphoma in 44 (88%) patients, but was false-negative in 4 cases of infradiaphragmatic malignant lymphoma and in 2 cases of malignant lymphoma with chemotherapy resistance. Ga-67 scintigraphy detected malignant lymphoma in 45 (90%) patients, but was false-negative in 3 cases of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and in 2 cases of malignant lymphoma with bone marrow involvement. There was no significant difference in sensitivity between Tc-TF and Ga scintigraphy. However, a combination of Tc-TF and Ga-67 scintigraphy detected malignant lymphoma in all 50 patients (100%). We conclude that it is necessary to combine Tc-TF and Ga-67 scintigraphy to accurately detect malignant lymphoma.