The efficacy of full-lung tomography in the detection of early metastatic disease from melanoma.

In a prospective study, 62 patients with proved melanoma and negative chest radiographs underwent full-lung tomography. Of 109 examinations performed, 12 patients had positive findings on tomography; nine were false-positive and three were true-positive. Of the true-positive examinations, two patients already had widespread metastatic disease and one had an advanced local lesion. Clinical staging and therapy were changed in only one patient as a result of information provided by full-lung tomography. It appears from these results that full-lung tomography is of limited use in detection of metastases from melanoma in the presence of a negative chest radiograph.