Gallium-67 scans in children with solid tumors.

Twenty pediatric patients with malignant disease were studied by whole body gallium scans. Seven had Hodgkin's disease, five had soft tissue sarcomas, three had neuroblastomas, two had Wilm's tumors, and one each had a hepatoblastoma, embryonal cell carcinoma, and sacrococcygeal teratoma. Of 50 sites studied, there was a true positive result in 17%, and in 58% there were false negative results. The method served best in patients with Hodgkin's disease, where the true positive rate was 64%. In no instance did the gallium scan affect the clinical management of a patient.