[Scintigraphic and x-ray bronchologic evaluation of the spread of bronchogenic cancer]

The potentialities of perfusion and positive pulmonary scintigraphy for the determination of spreading of bronchogenic cancer were studied in 83 patients and in terms of the assessment of effectiveness of radiation therapy in 28 patients. The results obtained by means of radionuclide methods were compared with those of roentgenography, tomography and bronchofibroscopy. Disorder of perfusion in the lung was shown to depend on primary tumor spreading as well as on the involvement of some groups of lymph nodes. Changes in the blood flow were greater than a degree of primary tumor spreading. It was shown that perfusion pulmonary scintigraphy could be used to predict a volume of radiation therapy. Scintigraphy of the chest with 67Ga-citrate permitted the determination of tumor sizes which was important for central cancer. At the same time potentialities for the detection of lymph node involvement were limited resulting from difficulties in differentiation of the affected lymph nodes from a primary tumor.