[(99m)Tc-MDP wholebody bone imaging in evaluation of the characteristics of bone metastasis of primary lung cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the image characteristics of bone metastasis of primary lung carcinoma.


METHODS
Whole-body bone imaging ((99)Tc(m)-MDP) was performed in 258 patients with pathologically proven lung carcinoma. The rate of bone metastasis, distribution of the metastatic lesions and their characteristics were analyzed.


RESULTS
Among the 258 cases, 142 patients developed bone metastasis. The overall rate of bone metastasis was 55.0%. The metastases located in axial skeleton were 49.6%, appendicular skeleton 36.0%, trunk bones of the axial skeleton 48.4%, and appendicular girdle skeleton 31.4%. Ribs, thoracic vertebrae, ilium and lumbar vertebrae had a higher rate of bone metastasis, higher than 20%, respectively. 1252 lesions were detected including 406 at the left side of the body, 387 in the axial skeleton and 459 at the right side of the body. There was no significant difference in terms of number of lesions between left side and right side (chi(2) = 3.3, P = 0.072). 1224 bone metastatic foci (97.8%) were presented as strong radioactive, 26 (2.1%) mixed lesion, and 2 (0.2%) low radioactive. According to the shape of the lesions, there were 810 punctate lesions (71.5%), 159 (14.0%) lump form, 108 (9.5%) strip form and 56 (4.9%) lamellar form. The accumulative bone metastasis rate was 28.7% for the patients with one to three lesions. The metastasis rate decreased gradually with the increasing number of metastatic lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
Bone metastasis is very common in patients with lung cancer. Most bone metastases are characterized by strong radioactive and earlier punctate form, often occurs in the trunk bones of axial skeleton or appendicular girdles. The distribution of earlier metastases has not obvious regularity, and advanced bone metastases are often concurrent, multiple and multiform, widely and randomly distributed in the body.
Wang
Chang-yin
CY
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China. wcy5292_cn@sina.com
Zhang
Xiang-yuan
XY
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate