Bone scintigraphy in plasma-cell myeloma. A prospective study of 70 patients.

Radiography and scintigraphy were correlated in 70 patients with recently diagnosed, untreated multiple myeloma, including 59 with and 11 without primary lytic bone lesions. A site-by-site comparison showed that scintigraphy was more sensitive than radiography in only 18% of cases, whereas radiography was more sensitive in 38% (p less than 0.001). Patients whose bone scan was as sensitive or more so than the radiograph ("hot" myeloma) had more active disease than those with the "cold" form. Remission was indicated by significant regression or disappearance of scintigraphic abnormalities in 90% of cases. The authors conclude that scintigraphy is not helpful in detecting myelomatous bone lesions, but does have prognostic value for diagnosis and chemotherapy: a positive bone scan indicates initial or residual activity.