Bone marrow biopsy and bone scan to detect skeletal metastases

This study correlates the findings of bone marrow biopsy with those of bone scan in patients with common cancers and highlights the comparable sensiti vities of the two methods at the authors' institution. The results show tha t bone scintigraphy may be slightly more sensitive than bone marrow examina tion for the detection of carcinomatous metastases. This experience suggest s that institutions should devise clinical pathways based on their testing sensitivities and patient characteristics. These considerations will ultima tely result in better and more cost-effective treatment of these patients.