Gallium Scan: What To Think About
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What To Think About
- A gallium scan is used for specific types of cancers, mainly of the lymph nodes, bones, or bone marrow. A normal scan does not exclude the possibility of cancer, because some types of cancer do not show up on a gallium scan. A gallium scan also cannot determine whether a tumor is cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous (benign).
- The results of a gallium scan should be interpreted along with the results of other tests, such as a physical examination, blood tests, and X-rays. In many cases, results obtained from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) may be as accurate as the results obtained from a gallium scan. For more information, see the medical tests Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
- If other nuclear scanning tests need to be done, these tests should be scheduled before a gallium scan because the gallium tracer stays in the body longer than other tracer compounds.
| Last updated: | January 17, 2007 |
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| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Reviewed By: | Paul D. Traughber, MD - Radiology, Kenneth B. Sutherland, CD, BSc, MD, FRCPC - Diagnostic Radiology |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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