The distribution and radiation effects of intravenously administered colloidal Au198 in man

LINEALLY, radioactive colloidal gold has C been administered interstitially, into cavities, and intravenously.T h e distribution and effect are greatly influenced by the route of administration.T h e present report is entirely concerned with the intravenous injection of this material.T h e tissue distribution after intravenous injection has been well established in dogs, rats,ll and guinea pigs.I n experimental animals, special studies have been done on the significance of particle size13 and upon the rate of removal from the blood stream.8This radioactive colloid has been used to produce cirrho-sis6.7 and to study the effect of this form of irradiation upon the liver,7 hematopoietic tissue,lZ and blood-clotting m e ~h a n i s m .~ Its distribution in man has been recorded by Sheppard and co-workers, who reported information on two patients.It is apparent that this isotope offers a means of achieving a distinctive type of radiation distribution; the greatest part of the dose is delivered to the liver, with relatively smaller amounts reaching the spleen and bone marrow.Still smaller quantities are distributed in other tissues of the body.T h e chief therapeutic use reported for Au198 administered intravenously is i n the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.5T h e present study was undertaken to investigate a repeatedly suggested possibility of using Au198 in the treatment of neoplasms located in the liver and to obtain additional general information on its distribution and effects i n man.Six patients, whose case histories and autopsy reports are presented in a brief form, received the isotope intravenously.I n two of these, it was thought possible to attempt irra-From the Medical Division, Oak Ridge Institute for Work done under contract with the United States The colloidal Au1Q8 was obtained from Ahhott