99mTc-MDP Bone Scan In the Detection of Bone Metastases in Breast cancer

Skeletal metastases are clinically significant because of associated symptoms, complications such as pathological fractures and their profound significance for staging treatment and prognosis. Detection of bone metastatic lesions allows radiation therapy or surgical interventions to prevent pathological fractures from disabling the patients. High sensitivity of bone scanning in determining the presence and extent of metastatic disease makes extremely important tool in decision making. Bone scans demonstrate metastatic lesions much earlier than X-ray,C.T.,MRI. 99mTechnetium methylene di-phosphonate (99mTc MDP) bone scintigraphy was performed for the detection of bone metastases in histopathologically proven patients of breast cancer. All spot views were taken as the primary method of acquisition, the regions of the skeleton covered by each spot view. The first spot view of the axial skeleton, usually the posterior projection of the chest, was acquired for approximately 500,000 to 1 million counts depending on the field of view (FOV) of the gamma camera. 53 patients of breast cancer were investigated with gamma camera. On visual analysis there was positive scan findings (bone metastases) in 19 patients (35.84 %) and negative scan findings (normal bone scan) in 34 patients (66.6%). 99mTc-MDP bone scintigraphy elucidates, non-invasively, tumour characteristics and may be indicative for prognosis and response to chemotherapy and hormonal treatment. Purpose of study was to diagnose, staging and see the treatment response in breast cancer patients.