[Frequency of bone metastases in bronchogenic carcinoma]

Medical findings of 210 patients with bronchogenic cancer in the four years period of time were elaborated retrospectively. Bone metastases were found with 27 (13.8%) patients. Diagnostic radiologic procedure were plain radiography and CT. The frequency, the localization and the distribution of bone metastases depending on pathohistological diagnosis were presented. The bone metastases were the most frequent (27 patients or 13.8%) compared to metastases of abdomen (23 patients or 10.9%) and brain (20 patients or 9.5%). Out of the total number of 27 (100%) patients with bone metastases, 9 (33.3%) of them have got solitary metastases, and 18 (66.7%) patients have got multiple metastases. Large number of bone metastases were located at spine, and very rarely at radius, ulna and scapula. It was shown that the small cell carcinoma with the most malignant potential was found with 3 (11.1%) patients only. It can be explained by the fact that a large number of patients hadn't got pathohistological diagnosis (13 patients or 48.2%). As a conclusion, the high percentage of patients without final diagnosis is a result of insufficient diagnostic procedures, the radiological ones due to a lack of technical means and not performing biopsy and autopsy.