Liver scanning in newly diagnosed breast carcinoma

The records of 111 consecutive cases of carcinoma of the breast were reviewed and yielded 66 patients who had undergone liver scanning and determination of the serum alkaline phosphatase (alk p'tase), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT). Four of the 66 patients (6.1%) had a focal defect on the liver scan. Two of those two had normal enzymes and two had at least one enzyme elevation. The two with normal enzymes have enjoyed prolonged disease-free survivals. The two with an elevated enzyme have both expired due to metastatic disease. No correlation could be found between the number of involved axillary nodes at surgery and the risk of having a focal defect on the liver scan. This study suggests that routine radionuclide liver scanning in the perimastectomy period does not add useful information in the face of normal alk p'tase, LSH, and SGOT.