[Value of skeletal scintigraphy in the therapy of breast cancer]

A retrospective review of the results of bone scintigrams performed on 130 patients after radical mastectomy for breast cancer revealed a positive scintigram rate of 9%. Bone scintigrams were positive in 5 out of 63 patients (8%) with stage II and in 6 out of 50 patients (12%) with stage III. 5 out of 23 patients (20%) with more than four positive axillary lymph nodes had a positive bone scintigram. These results indicate that preoperative bone scintigrams should be obtained routinely only in patients with stage III breast cancer and in patients with bone pain. Postoperative bone scintigrams should be performed in patients with positive axillary lymph nodes.