Gallium Scan

Total Body Scan

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 exam, 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.

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Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: January 5, 2009
Medical Review:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Paul D. Traughber, MD - Radiology
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