Abstract
ObjectiveTo evaluate positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and conventional imaging tests for the detection of distant metastases in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.Materials and methodsWe included 81 patients with breast cancer who had undergone 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT before treatment. Conventional imaging included the following: bone scintigraphy; chest X-ray (in 14.5%) or CT (in 85.5%); and abdominal ultrasound (in 10.8%), CT (in 87.8%), or magnetic resonance imaging (in 1.4%). Histopathology and clinical/imaging follow-up served as reference.ResultsDistant metastases were observed in nine patients (11.1%). On patient-based analysis, conventional imaging identified distant metastases in all 9 patients. In one patient, the initial 18F-FDG PET/CT failed to demonstrate bone metastases that was evident on bone scintigraphy. In two patients, the CT scan failed to show extra-axillary lymph node metastases that were identified on 18F-FDG PET/CT. There was no significant difference between 18F-FDG PET/CT and conventional imaging in terms of their sensitivity for the detection of distant metastases in patients with locally advanced breast cancer.ConclusionThis study showed that 18F-FDG PET/CT and conventional imaging with CT scans had similar sensitivity for the diagnosis of distant metastases in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. 18F-FDG PET/CT can add information about extra-axillary lymph node involvements.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide
We retrospectively evaluated 81 patients with locally advanced breast cancer who were submitted to 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/computed tomography (CT)) before the initiation of treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy
We found no significant difference between 18F-FDG PET/CT and conventional imaging in terms of their sensitivity for the detection of distant metastases in patients with locally advanced breast cancer
Summary
Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. It is standard practice to search for distant disease prior to initiating a treatment regimen with curative intent. Various imaging methods, such as bone scintigraphy, liver ultrasound, chest X-ray, and computed tomography (CT), are currently used for this purpose[1,2]. 18F-FDG PET/CT has been shown to play a role in the detection of distant metastases and, tumor recurrence, as well as in the evaluation of treatment responses[3,4]. Most studies of the topic have included women with known recurrent metastatic disease, or have studied the use of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the evaluation of treatment responses
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