Technetium-99m (99Tcm) (v) dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is a new tumour imaging agent which has been used to image medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. This study was undertaken to compare planar scintigraphy in patients with head and neck SCC using 99Tcm (v) DMSA and the established tumour imaging agent gallium-67 citrate (67Ga). Seventeen patients were studied of whom 16 had a head and neck malignancy. Clinical examination was more sensitive and accurate than 67Ga scintigraphy, which in turn was more sensitive and accurate than 99Tcm (v) DMSA in detecting patients with cancer, patients with primary tumours and patients with metastatic neck carcinoma. Neither 67Ga or 99Tcm (v) DMSA planar scintigraphy has any role to play in the routine evaluation at presentation of patients with head and neck SCC.