Whole-body bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis and follow-up of the evolution of breast cancer

• Published in: Revista medico-chirurgicala a Societatii de Medici si Naturalisti din Iasi Vol. 103; no. 1-2; p. 163
• Main Authors: Muşat, E, Stefănescu, C, Rusu, V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Romanian, Moldovan
• Published: Romania 01-01-1999
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Bone and Bones - diagnostic imaging; Bone Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Bone Neoplasms - pathology; Bone Neoplasms - secondary; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Radionuclide Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; Whole-Body Counting - methods; Whole-Body Counting - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 0048-7848

We have studied 75 patients, diagnosed with breast cancer, (39 on the right, 36 on the left and 4 on the two breasts), the TNM classification being: stage I--13.3%, stage II--36%, stage III--40% and stage IV--10.6%. Each patient has undergone a whole body scan, 2 hours after a 20-25 mCi 99mTc MDP i.v. dose, using a Siemens Diacam gamma camera. Three parameters where assessed: 1) the distribution of multiple metastasis bone sites; 2) an index, the counts/pixel ratio between the metastatic site interest region and a homologous normal bone interest region (IMDP); 3) a graphic representation of the metastasis heterogeneity radiotracer uptake.
Bone metastasis have been found in 23 patients (30.6%), 16 cases having multiple sites; the rate between right and left breast cancer, for these metastases, was 13:10, according with the previous mentioned breast frequency. From all the 23 cases, the most involved site was the ribs (18 cases), followed by the spine (in 17 cases), the iliac bone (9 cases), the femur (7 cases), the skull (3 cases). On the spine, the more frequent involved was the dorsal spine (49.23%), than the lumbosacral (26.13%) and last the cervical spine (12.3%). On the dorsal vertebrae, in 91% the metastasis were localized between D8 and D12. The highest values of I-MDP characterize the femoral metastasis. The heterogeneity was high only for the vertebrae multiple sites. In conclusion, our study show pattern characteristics on the distribution and also on the uptake radiotracer bone metastasis quantification in breast cancer, in respect with others neoplasm's bone metastasis.