The presence of tumor cells in bone marrow at the time of first recurrence of breast cancer.

The occurrence of bone marrow carcinosis was investigated in 380 patients at the time of first recurrence of breast cancer. Results were related to results from radiographic bone survey, 99mTc MDP bone scintigraphy, clinical examination and serum alkaline phosphatase and serum calcium levels. Eighty-seven patients (23%) had tumor cells in the bone marrow. X-rays showed metastases in 78% of the patients with and in 16% of the patients without bone marrow carcinosis. The diagnostic efficiency of x-rays with bone marrow biopsy as the key diagnostic factor was 83%, and it was superior to that of other investigation methods. Bone tissue biopsies were positive alone in 15 patients (17%) and marrow aspirations were positive alone in seven patients (8%). Imprint preparations were positive alone in 7% of the patients and bone tissue biopsy in 5% of the patients. Heavy tumor infiltration (greater than or equal to 50%) of the bone marrow was associated with the occurrence of numerous regions of radiographically involved bone lesions and with histopathologic evidence of bone destruction. Furthermore, pronounced bone formation and marrow fibrosis were more commonly seen in patients with osteosclerotic bone metastases than in patients with osteolytic bone metastases. This study provides evidence that the primary soil of metastatic bone disease in human breast cancer is the bone marrow and that radiographic evidence of bone metastases is a result of an invasion and destruction of the bone tissue matrix by tumor cells from the marrow cavity.