Lymphoma of the mediastinum and neck: evaluation with Ga-67 imaging and CT correlation

The role of gallium-67 in the differentiation between active disease and fibrotic changes in patients with childhood lymphoma involving the mediastinum and neck was evaluated prospectively. Ga-67 imaging and computed tomography (CT) were correlated with clinical findings at the time of initial presentation and follow-up in 19 patients. Both modalities enabled detection of active disease on all occasions, but CT results were false-positive for residual disease in 10 patients (53%), whereas Ga-67 imaging results were false-positive in only one patient (5%). Neither modality, however, proved accurate in patients with rebound thymic hyperplasia. Ga-67 imaging is a useful tool for assessing response to therapy in children with lymphoma of the mediastinum and neck.