AbstractThe most common site of metastases from breast cancer is the skeleton. Conventional methods of detecting skeletal metastases are not very sensitive. Substantial evidence indicates that skeletal scintigraphy is the most accurate method of demonstrating metastases to bone, particularly in patients with “early” breast cancer who have no manifestations of metastatic disease. In a study of 50 patients with advanced mammary carcinoma, skeletal metastases were demonstrated by scintigram (and later confirmed) in 84%, but by conventional x‐rays in only 50%. More important, in 50 patients with “early” breast cancer who had negative skeletal x‐rays, lesions were found by scintigraphy in 24%. All of these patients developed disseminated carcinoma and 83% of them died within 5 years. In contrast, only 34% of patients with a negative scintigram developed disseminated carcinoma within 5 years.