SCINTIMAMMOGRAPHY WITH TC-99M-MDP - EXPERIENCE OF THE NATIONAL-CANCER-INSTITUTE OF NAPLES

The role of scintimammography with Tc-99m-MDP was investigated in pati ents with mammographic or clinical evidence of breast lesions, suspici ous for malignancy, in our Department at the National Cancer Institute of Naples. The end-point of the study was to assess the usefulness of this test in diagnosing or ruling out breast cancer in more than 2000 women. Scintimammography results were compared with those of mammogra phy and ultrasound and categorized according to histological findings. Overall sensitivity was 92%, specificity was 90%, and accuracy 91%. S ensitivity was affected by the lesions exceeding 12 mm and specificity by sclerotic and/or hyaline or myxoid fibroadenomas, which may be pos itive. The major advantages of scintimammography appeared in the study of calcifications without a mass and of the indirect mammographic sig ns of breast cancer, such as distortion and asymmetry. Scintimammograp hy with Tc-99m-MDP is a reliable, safe and highly cost-effective proce dure to diagnose or to rule out breast cancer, after mammography and u ltrasound have yielded questionable results. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.