Follow-up of prostate carcinoma with serial bone scanning using cyclotron-produced 18-fluorine.

Seventy-four patients with carcinoma of the prostate were studied annually by combined radiological and 18F scintigraphy over a 5-year period. Of the patients who have no radiological evidence of bone metastases, 25% have a positive 18F bone scan. Follow-up of these patients has shown that scan abnormalities perceded x-ray changes from between 1 to 4 years. False negative scans were not seen with 18F which allows for greater accuracy in the detection of skeletal metastases. Teh accurate staging of carcinoma of the prostate cannot be made without bone scanning. Preliminary results with 111In bleomycin as an adjunct to 18F have shown this to be a useful radio-pharmaceutical to distinguish metastases from benign lesions, and further studies are warranted.