Bone marrow biopsy in cancer patients (Hebrew)

120 patients with cancer, proven or suspected on clinical or radiologic grounds, underwent bone marrow biopsy by the Jamshidi needle. The biopsy was adequate in 109 patients. In 19 the bone marrow was positive for cancer while in 90 (79%) no tumor cells were found. Of 70 patients with lymphoma biopsied for staging, five (7.1%) gave a positive bone marrow while in 17 only an increased number of lymphocytes was found, which was considered a negative result. Of 21 patients biopsied in search of bone metastases, four (19%) showed metastases. Of 18 patients biopsied to determine the histological picture, 10 (55.5%) showed the histological picture of cancer. In two patients polyarteritis nodosa and Paget's disease of the bone were found and in seven the bone marrow was described as hypocellular fibrotic or fatty. The bone marrow biopsy was positive to a greater extent in patients with positive X rays, positive skeletal isotope scintigrams, low blood hemoglobin, and high levels of blood calcium or alkaline phosphatase. There was no correlation between high sedimentation rate, leukocyte and thrombocyte counts and positive bone marrow biopsy. These results indicate the value of bone marrow biopsy in defining the histological picture and detecting occult metastases.