Value of liver scintigraphy in pretreatment staging and in follow-up of patients with malignant melanoma.
Liver scintigraphy (99Tcm sulphur colloid) was performed in 118 patients with malignant melanoma. In 73 patients diagnosed as stage I, the pretreatment evaluation showed one false-negative and one false-positive examination. During follow-up there were ten abnormal liver scintigraphies; one was later correlated to liver metastases. In 46 patients diagnosed as stage II-IV, the pretreatment liver scintigraphy yielded false-negative results in 36% and false-positive results in 15%. The predictive values of positive and negative tests were 44% and 81%, respectively. The yields of liver tests (S-alkaline phosphatase, S-gamma-glutamyl-transferase) in patients with liver metastases were low. This study demonstrated the limitations of liver scintigraphy for diagnosis of liver metastases in patients with malignant melanoma.
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid
D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid