[Scintigraphy of liver after combined chemo-/immunotherapy with malignant melanoma (author's transl)]

Thirty patients with malignant melanoma received combined chemo-/immunotherapy with Dacarbazine and BCG after operation. Before therapy and 6-10 weeks after the liver was examined by clinical, laboratory and scintigraphic means. We wanted to find out the side effects of the therapy on liver and the use of the gated scintigraphy to diagnose liver parenchymal changes. Each of the patients had normal laboratory results as well as a normal scintigraphy before therapy. After chemotherapy 19 patients had a pathological liver scintigram. Also specific liver enzymes were elevated. While 12 patients showed a diffuse, inhomogeneous liver pattern with scintigraphy, 5 patients had an additional diffuse liver increase on top. Four patients also showed signs of intrahepatic cholestasis. In 11 patients the result was unsignificant. Related to the liver toxicity of Dacarbazine, liver scintigraphy is able to detect a liver reaction at a point where laboratory and clinical signs don't give a significant information.