Background & objective: According to clinical symptom ostalgia, radionuclide bone imaging was often used to diagnose the bone metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. But the reports of the positive rate of radionulide bone imaging in no ostalgia patients with newly nasopharyngeal carcinoma is rarely. This study was designed to evaluate the positive rate of radionuclide bone imaging and treatment in no ostalgia patients with new nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Methods: A total of 104 no ostalgia patients with new nasopharyngeal carcinoma were examined by whole body radionuclide bone imaging. All patients were divided into two groups: group A includes 20 patients which have the abnormal lesions of bone imaging, The abnormal lesions of bone imaging were examined by 5 mm slice bone-target computer tomography. Group B includes 84 patients which have normal bone imaging. These patients were followed up from 6 to 30 months.
Results: Twenty patients (19.2%) were with abnormal lesions of bone imaging. The lesions of bone imaging were examined by 5 mm slice bone-target computer tomography. One patients was documeuted bone destraction, 2 patients were deteriorative, other 17 patients were no abnormal. With a follow up from 6 to 10 months, 11 patients appeared ostalgia. The lesions of bone imaging had developed when examined by bone imaging again, 84 (81.8%) patients were negative; but with a follow up from 4 to 20 months, 9 patients appeared ostalgia and there were new lesions of bone imaging when examined by bone imaging again. There was a higher significant difference in incidence of bone metastasis in group A and group B. (P < 0.01) The patients with ostalgia received local radiotherapy or combining therapy.
Conclusion: The rate of radionuclide bone imaging in no ostalgia patients with new nasopharyngeal carcinoma was 19.2%. The incidence of bone matastasis in positive patients of bone imaging was higher than that in negative. Two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy can not reduced the appearing rate of ostalgia. Acording to clinical symptom, The following up can be selected to the no ostalgia patient of positive bone imaging with newly nasopharyngeal carcinoma. But computer tomography can not determined the faulse positive of radionuclide bone imaging.