The predictive value of serial bone scans in assessing response to chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer

A retrospective analysis was made of 25 patients with breast cancer treated only with chemotherapy in order to determine the predictive value of technetium‐99m bone scanning in determining response to chemotherapy. Whole‐body scanning demonstrated bone healing in only 3 of 25 patients. However, the presence of stable disease on bone scan correlated with a good prognosis as 12 patients with stable scans had a significantly longer survival time than did the 13 patients who showed progression on scans (17.7 and 7.8 months, respectively P <1 > 0.005, Wilcoxan). Our analysis indicates that bone scans are a relatively crude technique for monitoring response to chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

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