Distribution and retention of 35S-sodium sulfate in man

Measurements were made of the 35S content of tissues obtained from biopsies and autopsies made during and up to 6 months after treatment of chondrosarcoma or chordoma with carrier-free Na235SO4. Usually 70--90% of an intravenous dose was excreted in the urine during the first 3 days. The major component of the blood concentration had a biologic half-time of 0.4--0.7 days. The initial uptakes in chondrosarcoma, chordoma, and red bone marrow were high and nearly equal, but the rates of loss differed greatly. Uptake in epiphyseal cartilage was comparable to that in chondrosarcoma; uptake in other types of cartilage was lower, but subsequent loss was very slow. For an administered dose of 1 mCi per kilogram of body weight, the integrated radiation doses were 2.4 rads for blood, 33 rads for red bone marrow, 155 rads for chondrosarcoma, 49 rads for chordoma, and 135 rads for normal cartilage. Doses to muscle, skin, and fibrous tissue were 7--15 rads.