[Application of computerized tomoscintigraphy in the detection of tumors using cobalt-57-marked bleomycin]

57Co-bleomycin scanning dates from the early 1970s, when the first results were presented by Renault et al. Since then there have been numerous publications concerning the high sensitivity of this type of study in the detection of pulmonary or cerebral neoplasms. In the region below the diaphragm, however, sensitivity was poor due to hyperactivity of the kidney, liver and bladder. To eliminate this problem the authors have used single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT), and their department is currently investigating the sensitivity of this technique for the detection of neoplasms. Two typical cases are described which illustrate the value of this method in the detection of cancer.