Scintigraphic criteria for hepatic metastases from cancer of the colon and breast.

Scintigraphic criteria for hepatic metastases were studied by examination of 333 liver scintigrams performed on 275 patients with primary cancers of the colon or breast. Focal defects in radiocolloid distribution correctly signaled the presence of metastatic colon carcinoma in 88% of the patients with that disease and incorrectly pointed to only 6% of the patients without such metastases. In contrast, the same criterion detected only 67% of hepatic metastases from breast carcinoma. This lower sensitivity could be improved to 87% by adding heterogeneity or hepatomegaly to the criteria for abnormality when patients with breast cancer are examined. Scintigraphic indicators of metastatic disease may vary according to the site of primary cancer.