[Enhancement of 67Ga tumor-to-blood ratios by chelating agent (author's transl)].

Chelating agent, such as CaEDTA, CaDTPA, D-penicillamine, DMSA, desferoxamine, NTA, cysteine ethyl ester, BAL, alpha-MPG, phthalein complexone, were tested as a possible contrast enhancing agent for tumor imaging with 67Ga-citrate. The intravenous administration of a chelating agent to Ehrlich's tumor bearing mice, one hour after the injection of 67Ga-citrate, accelerated the blood clearance with only a very slight change of activity in the target, increasing the tumor-to-blood ratio, and consequently achieving a better visualization. Among the tested chelating agents, D-penicillamine showed the highest target-to-nontarget ratio at a shorter time: a good tumor-to-blood ratio, performed after 24 hr with non-treated animals, was achieved in only 1-3 hr with post-treated animals. Thus, D-penicillamine hold a considerable promise as a contrast enhancing agent for future clinical use.