title: Efficacy of bone and liver scanning in breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.
abstract: One hundred nineteen patients who underwent mastectomy and received adjuvant chemotherapy for breast carcinoma were studied retrospectively. Of these, 102 patients had serial bone scans and 101 patients serial liver scans during a mean follow-up of 59 months. All had negative scans prior to chemotherapy. Twenty-three of 102 patients converted to positive bone scans during follow-up. These 23 patients converted a mean of 29.5 months after surgery. At conversion, 5 of 21 patients had bone pain, and none had elevated alkaline phosphatase. Thirteen of 101 patients developed positive liver scans a mean of 31.5 months after surgery. The liver scan was the first indicator of liver involvement in only 3 of 13 converters. In no case was the liver scan the first indication of metastatic disease. The incidence of bone scan conversion (22%) did not differ significantly from previously reported series of patients not receiving adjuvant therapy, but the mean time to conversion was prolonged (29.5 versus 18.0 months). In addition, none (0/21) of the bone scan converters had elevated alkaline phosphatase at the time of conversion. It is concluded that the interval from initial evaluation to bone scan conversion may be prolonged by adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer. It is recommended that patients have bone scans twice yearly for at least 3 to 4 years after surgery. This study emphasizes the singular importance of bone scanning in breast cancer patients who have adjuvant chemotherapy, as the scan may be the only indicator of bone involvement. Liver scans do not appear useful for screening patients without other evidence for metastatic liver involvement.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents