Gallium 67 Scans in Small Cell Carcinoma

To the Editor.—  My colleagues and I read with interest the experience reported by Brereton et al (240:666, 1978) on gallium scans for the staging of small cell carcinoma of the lung. We, too, have been evaluating gallium 67 scans for the staging of small cell carcinoma of the lung and have presently studied 53 consecutively untreated patients with small cell carcinoma. Our conclusions on the accuracy of gallium 67 scans in detecting extrathoracic sites of disease greatly differ from those of Brereton et al. Fifty-five extrathoracic sites of disease were identified by either physical examination, chest roentgenogram, or technetium Tc 99m bone, brain, or liver scans in 25 patients with widespread metastatic disease (III_M1). Gallium 67 scans in these patients were compared with bone, brain, and liver scans to determine sensitivity and specificity. In our hands, a gallium 67 scan in patients with small cell carcinoma had a