Abstract
Aim This study has aimed to assess if the prone position shows significant differences in regards to the supine position in PET/CT studies in breast cancer patients and to determine which modality offers better evaluation of the images. Method A total of 30 patients were included from October 2009 to February 2010 prior to beginning neoadjuvant chemotherapy. An intravenous 18F-FDG dose ranging from 180 to 240 MBq was administered. Image acquisition was begun 60±10 min after injection. First of all, a thorax scan was performed with the patient in prone position, followed by a whole body study with the patient in supine position. Results Uptake in tumor lesions was observed in all of the patients. Twenty-four patients (80%) had the same number of lesions with both techniques. Five patients (17%) had a different amount of axillary lymph nodes. One patient (3.3%) had a different number of lesions. The prone position lesions had a mean SUVmax 8.89±4.18 compared to 7.67±4.34 in supine position. The areas of the primary breast lesions were higher in the prone position (8.59±7.80 compared with 7.81±7.39). Mean SUVmax of axillary nodes was 5.97±4.02 in prone and 4.41±3.10 in supine. Conclusion The hanging breast technique can achieve higher lesion visualization as well as higher semiquantitative values in comparison with standard procedure. This supports its inclusion in acquisition guidelines of PET/CT imaging in breast cancer patients.
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