Early Detection of Metastases by Bone Scintigraphy in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Xiaohui Wang

doi:10.4172/2167-0889.1000191

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is relatively common worldwide. Until a few years ago skeletal involvement from HCC was rarely diagnosed. Thanks to novel imaging techniques and multidisciplinary treatment approaches, the overall survival in HCC patients has prolonged, and bone involvement has significantly increased currently. This short review summaries the value of bone scintigraphy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Highlights

Bone involvement is reported as uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its incidence has significantly increased in the last decade due to novel imaging techniques and multidisciplinary treatment approaches and the overall survival in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients has prolonged [1].Bone metastases were most frequently found in the pelvis (20%), followed by the lumbar spine (14%) and long bones (13%) [2], and bone metastasis is discovered as the first symptoms in about 5%-7% of the HCC patients, which would cause clinical misdiagnosis
Bone involvement is reported as uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its incidence has significantly increased in the last decade due to novel imaging techniques and multidisciplinary treatment approaches and the overall survival in HCC patients has prolonged [1]
Bone scintigraphy (BS) can be an option for patients to reduce the misdiagnosis rate and to rule out the possibility of bone metastasis from HCC, which could give a comprehensive assessment to whole body bones. 99mTc-MDP (Technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate) is usually used as imaging agent

Summary

Introduction

Bone involvement is reported as uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its incidence has significantly increased in the last decade due to novel imaging techniques and multidisciplinary treatment approaches and the overall survival in HCC patients has prolonged [1].Bone metastases were most frequently found in the pelvis (20%), followed by the lumbar spine (14%) and long bones (13%) [2], and bone metastasis is discovered as the first symptoms in about 5%-7% of the HCC patients, which would cause clinical misdiagnosis . Bone involvement is reported as uncommon in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its incidence has significantly increased in the last decade due to novel imaging techniques and multidisciplinary treatment approaches and the overall survival in HCC patients has prolonged [1]. Bone metastases were most frequently found in the pelvis (20%), followed by the lumbar spine (14%) and long bones (13%) [2], and bone metastasis is discovered as the first symptoms in about 5%-7% of the HCC patients, which would cause clinical misdiagnosis .

Results

Conclusion