Recognition of metastatic bone disease in cancer of the breast by computed tomography

Computed tomography has been used to evaluate the significance of positive bone scans in 44 patients with carcinoma of the breast. Of patients with apparently early cancer of the breast who had a positive bone scan 76% were found to have benign joint disease, while 33% of patients who developed a positive bone scan after mastectomy also had benign disease on CT scan. Seventy five per cent of patients with apparently early disease but a positive bone scan who were shown to have metastases died within 30 months. All the patients have been followed for 5 years and only one false positive CT scan was reported.