Radiological examination

Radiological examination

Radiographs of the chest may reveal metastases in either the lung fields or the ribs. An abdominal radiograph may show the characteristic sclerotic metastases in lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones ( Figure 84.19 ). The bone appears dense and coarse, and it is sometimes di ffi cult to distinguish the change from that in Paget’s disease of bone. Nevertheless, osteolytic metastases are very common in prostate cancer and may coexist with sclerotic ones.