Abstract
L-[methyl-11-C]methionine (11C-methionine) uptake of seven primary breast cancers, four soft tissue metastases of breast cancer, and three other breast lesions was studied by positron emission tomography (PET). 11C-methionine accumulation was assessed by calculating the standardised uptake value (SUV). The mean SUV for breast cancer was 8.5 +/- 3.3 (s.d.), while the maximal uptake in the liver was 12.4 +/- 1.6, in the bone marrow 5.8 +/- 0.7, and in the myocardium 3.4 +/- 0.6. All eight malignant tumours larger than 30 mm in diameter accumulated clearly 11C-methionine, whereas none of the three smaller cancers (from 12 to 15 mm in diameter) were visualised. Strong uptake of 11C-methionine was associated with a large S-phase fraction (SPF) measured with flow cytometry (r = 0.77, P = 0.01), and the non-visualised cancers had all a small SPF (less than 5.5%). One benign tumour (an abscess) accumulated slightly 11C-methionine. The results indicate that both primary and metastatic breast cancer can be effectively imaged with 11C-methionine by PET, and that the accumulation of 11C-methionine may correlate with the proliferation rate of breast carcinoma.
Highlights
MethodsFourteen patients underwent evaluation for a breast mass or recurrent breast cancer participated in the study and gave written informed consent
The results indicate that both primary and metastatic breast cancer can be effectively imaged with "IC-methionine by positron emission tomography (PET), and that the accumulation of "C-methionine may correlate with the proliferation rate of breast carcinoma
All malignant tumours with a maximum diameter larger than 30 mm were clearly visualised with "C-methionine; the standardised uptake value (SUV) ranged from 5.7 to 15.1 (Table I, Figures 1 and 2)
Summary
Fourteen patients underwent evaluation for a breast mass or recurrent breast cancer participated in the study and gave written informed consent. Seven patients turned out to have primary breast cancer, one had recurrent breast cancer in the thoracic wall, and three had metastatic breast cancer in a lymph node of the neck or the ipsilateral axilla (Table I). The tumours consisted of infiltrating ductal (n = 9) or lobular (n = 2) carcinoma. Two patients had a palpable tumour which turned out to be an abscess and mastitis, respectively. One patient had a palpable mass, benign by mammography, with a diameter of 3 cm in her left breast. The histology of the mass is not known, because the Correspondence: S. Leskinen-Kallio, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Turku University Central Hospital, SF-20520 Turku, Finland. Received 9 April 1991; and in revised form 22 August 1991
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