Radioisotope diagnosis and therapy of malignant pheochromocytoma

The availability of radiopharmaceuticals to depict primary malignant pheoch romocytoma and its metastases has markedly changed the approach to these un usual cancers. Whole body screening afforded by scintigraphy allows remote tumor involvement to be identified and provides staging information necessa ry to guide subsequent therapy. The avid accumulation by malignant pheochro mocytoma of some radiopharmaceuticals used for scanning has shown promise i n therapeutic trials. In this paper, we discuss radiopharmaceuticals presen tly employed in malignant pheochromocytoma for both diagnostic and therapeu tic uses and potential future compounds that may find their way into clinic al practice in the approach to these and other related neoplasms.