Abstract
Serum MCA levels were determined in 173 consecutive patients with breast cancer in order to assess the clinical utility of MCA for the detection of bone metastases. Bone pathology was diagnosed by scintigraphy, radiology and clinical follow-up. Metastases were found in 37 patients, benign lesions in 25, and in 111 no bone lesions were found. Eighteen of the 173 bone scans were considered indeterminate for metastases. Based on the receiver-operating characteristic curves (ROC) analysis, the cut-off level for MCA was set at 20 U/ml. Only in 4 of the 37 patients with bone metastases MCA was below 20 U/ml. All 4 patients had completed their chemotherapy course within six months before MCA determination. Only in 6 patients of the 136 without bone metastases MCA levels were above 20 U/ml. Of the 18 patients with indeterminate bone scans, 15 had benign lesions and all of them had MCA levels below 20 U/ml. MCA determination is a sensitive method for the detection of bone metastases in breast carcinoma. We encourage the use of this procedure for the selection of high-risk groups or as a complementary method for the interpretation of bone scintigraphy.
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