title: Hepatic staging in operable breast cancer: a reappraisal from a prospective study.
abstract: A consecutive series of 100 patients affected by breast cancer and referred for surgical treatment were studied for the eventual spread of the tumour to the liver (echography, carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA], hepatic enzymes). Hepatic echography was positive in five cases: two also had bone and skin metastases at the time of diagnosis, and one was a case of remastectomy (these three patients died rather quickly of the disease); the remaining two patients are free of the disease 24 months after surgery and thus should be considered false-positive cases. Hepatic enzymes were not significant. The same was true for CEA except in nine cases with levels much greater than 20 ng/ml (six of these had early local and/or distant metastases). It is concluded that the usefulness of routine hepatic echography before locoregional treatment of breast cancer is rather limited. CEA much greater than 20 ng/ml may be useful prognostically.
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000032:analysis; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000032:analysis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase