Suspected Breast Cancer Recurrence Research Articles

Association Between CA 15-3 and 18F-FDG PET/CT Findings in Recurrent Breast Cancer Patients at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Kenya.

The tumor marker cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) is that most commonly used to monitor metastatic breast cancer during active therapy and surveillance for disease recurrence after treatment. The association of CA 15-3 and 18F-FDG PET/CT findings can be considered complementary, since any significant rise may indicate the presence of disease and imaging is able to map the tumor sites. Although current guidelines do not recommend the routine performance of CA 15-3 in asymptomatic patients being followed up after definitive breast cancer treatment, most oncologists perform serial assessment of the tumor markers as part of routine follow-up of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between CA 15-3 levels and 18F-FDG PET/CT scan findings in patients with recurrent breast cancer. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with data collected retrospectively. Patients being evaluated for breast cancer recurrence with 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging and CA 15-3 level were included. Evaluation of the association between CA 15-3 levels and 18F-FDG PET/CT scan findings was then done. Results: In total, 154 cases were included in this study; 62 patients had recurrence (positive) on the 18F-FDG PET/CT scans, whereas 92 patients had normal (negative) findings on follow-up 18F-FDG PET/CT scans. There was an association between CA 15-3 levels and the presence or absence of recurrence on 18F-FDG PET/CT scans, with 84.4% (27/32) of patients who had elevated CA 15-3 levels having disease recurrence on 18F-FDG PET/CT and 84.4% (27/32) of patients who had elevated CA 15-3 levels having disease recurrence on 18F-FDG PET/CT as well as a correlation with the burden of metastases. Most patients with disease recurrence on 18F-FDG PET/CT, however, had normal CA 15-3 levels. Conclusion: Higher CA 15-3 levels correlate with breast cancer recurrence on 18F-FDG PET/CT as well as with burden of metastasis. Notably, CA 15-3 levels within the reference range do not exclude breast cancer disease recurrence since more than half of patients with recurrence had normal CA 15-3 levels. 18F-FDG PET/CT should therefore be considered in patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence but normal CA 15-3 levels.

Incidental discovery of second primary malignancies in patients diagnosed with breast cancer: An institutional case series.

e12552 Background: National guidelines recommend tissue biopsy of suspected recurrent breast cancer, to confirm diagnosis and to characterize disease phenotype, receptor status, and molecular markers. Despite this, clinicians frequently rely on imaging alone to diagnose recurrent breast cancer; indeed, our group recently published data revealing that only half of patients in Washington state diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer between 2008 and 2017 underwent confirmatory biopsies for suspected metastatic disease on imaging. Here we present evidence of how this failure to fully evaluate suspected breast cancer recurrence could potentially lead to misdiagnosis. Methods: We surveyed our breast medical oncology faculty to identify patients treated at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (FHCC) from 2018 to 2022 in which a second primary carcinoma (not including non-melanoma skin cancers) was discovered as part of breast cancer workup and treatment. Results: We identified 10 cases of second primary diagnoses. Of these, the majority (7/10) were lung cancer; other diagnoses included neuroendocrine tumors (1), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (1), and thyroid cancer (1). In the case of lung cancers, patients were typically diagnosed during staging or CT evaluation for radiation or reconstruction, in which a pulmonary nodule raised suspicion for malignancy. In five cases, patients were treated with curative intent for both of their early-stage primary malignancies, and remain disease-free on endocrine therapy alone. In two cases, patients with biopsy-proven metastatic breast cancer were found to have new suspicious lung lesions, which on biopsy were found to represent lung adenocarcinoma; these patients were treated surgically for their lung cancer and continued long-term therapy for metastatic breast cancer. Conclusions: While imaging can raise strong suspicion for metastatic recurrence of breast cancer, the assumption that an apparently metastatic lesion 1) indeed represents metastasis and 2) represents metastatic spread of the known primary rather than another malignancy, risks treating both the primary tumor and the newly detected condition inappropriately. Biopsy is critical for confirmation of metastatic disease vs second primary or other etiology. As patients with metastatic breast cancer are surviving longer as our cancer-directed therapies improve, appropriate diagnostic measures for a suspicious non-breast malignancy are recommended for optimal care. Novel imaging modalities such as 18F-fluoroestradiol (FES) PET and others could be explored in discriminating between metastatic lesions and unrelated conditions.

Unknown Case: Suspected Breast Cancer Recurrence.

Unknown Case: Suspected Breast Cancer Recurrence.

Sarcoidosis or sarcoid-like reaction with mediastinal lymphadenopathy in patients after breast cancer surgery

BackgroundPatients with breast cancer present with lymphadenopathy involving non-caseating epithelioid cell granulomas in the mediastinum or axilla, referred to as sarcoidosis or sarcoid-like reactions (SLRs). However, sarcoidosis/SLRs prevalence and clinical presentation remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the frequency and clinical presentation of sarcoidosis/SLRs among postoperative patients with breast cancer. MethodsAmong all patients who underwent surgery for early-stage breast cancer at St. Luke's International Hospital in Japan between 2010 and 2021, those who subsequently developed enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes and underwent bronchoscopy for suspected breast cancer recurrence were included. Patients were classified into sarcoidosis/SLR or metastatic breast cancer groups, and the clinical characteristics were compared. ResultsA total of 9,559 patients underwent breast cancer surgery; bronchoscopy was performed to diagnose enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes in 29 cases. Breast cancer recurrence was observed in 20 patients. Eight women with a median age of 49 years (range 38–75) and a median time from surgery to diagnosis of 4.0 years (range 0.2–10.8) were diagnosed with sarcoidosis/SLRs. Four of the eight patients underwent mammoplasty with silicone breast implants (SBIs), and two experienced postoperative recurrences of breast cancer before or after lymphadenopathy, which was considered inciting factors for SLRs. The remaining two cases could have developed sarcoidosis after breast cancer surgery with no underlying causes for SLR. ConclusionsPostoperative sarcoidosis/SLRs rarely occur in patients with breast cancer. An adjuvant action of SBI likely contributed to the progression of SLRs; few cases exhibited a causal relationship with breast cancer recurrence.

Comparative Study between 18F FDG-PET/CT and Whole Body MRI DWIBS in Assessment of Recurrent Breast Cancer (Prospective, Comparative, Cross-sectional Study Design).

Aim:This study aims to assess the diagnostic performance of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (18FDG-PET/CT) compared to whole body (WB) magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with background body signal suppression (MR/DWIBS) in lesions detection in patients with recurrent breast cancer.Materials and Methods:Twenty-three female patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence by clinical, laboratory, or conventional imaging underwent both 18FDG-PET/CT and WB MR/DWIBS. WB 18FDG-PET/CT was performed using the standard technique. WB MR/DWIBS acquired sequences were WB DWI with short tau inversion recovery (STIR), coronal T1, and coronal STIR. Both 18FDG-PET/CT and WB-magnetic resonance imaging/DWIBS were independently interpreted using visual qualitative and quantitative analysis. Pathological findings and combined clinical/radiological follow-up data were used as a reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and overall accuracy were calculated for both techniques.Results:PET/CT demonstrated higher specificity and sensitivity indices than MR/DWIBS in the detection of the nodal and distant lesions, while the latter displayed higher sensitivity in the detection of local breast lesions. The overall sensitivity, specificity, NPV, PPV, and accuracy of PET/CT were 84.8%, 86.3%, 90.4%, 78.7%, and 85.4% versus 82.1%, 78.0%, 85.2%, 74.0%, and 80.5% for MR/DWIBS. A high degree of agreement existed between PET/CT and MR-DWIBS.Conclusion:18FDG-PET/CT is more sensitive and has superiority in the assessment of nodal and distant lesions than DWIBS that has a potential superior role in the assessment of local breast lesions. DWIBS has a promising and helpful complementary tool for 18FDG-PET/CT in the evaluation of patients with proven malignancies.

Quantification of FDG-PET/CT with delayed imaging in patients with newly diagnosed recurrent breast cancer

BackgroundSeveral studies have shown the advantage of delayed-time-point imaging with 18F-FDG-PET/CT to distinguish malignant from benign uptake. This may be relevant in cancer diseases with low metabolism, such as breast cancer. We aimed at examining the change in SUV from 1 h (1h) to 3 h (3h) time-point imaging in local and distant lesions in patients with recurrent breast cancer. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of partial volume correction in the different types of metastases, using semi-automatic quantitative software (ROVER™).MethodsOne-hundred and two patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence underwent whole-body PET/CT scans 1h and 3h after FDG injection. Semi-quantitative standardised uptake values (SUVmax, SUVmean) and partial volume corrected SUVmean (cSUVmean), were estimated in malignant lesions, and as reference in healthy liver tissue. The change in quantitative measures from 1h to 3h was calculated, and SUVmean was compared to cSUVmean. Metastases were verified by biopsy.ResultsOf the 102 included patients, 41 had verified recurrent disease with in median 15 lesions (range 1-70) amounting to a total of 337 malignant lesions included in the analysis. SUVmax of malignant lesions increased from 6.4 ± 3.4 [0.9-19.7] (mean ± SD, min and max) at 1h to 8.1 ± 4.4 [0.7-29.7] at 3h. SUVmax in breast, lung, lymph node and bone lesions increased significantly (p < 0.0001) between 1h and 3h by on average 25, 40, 33, and 27%, respectively. A similar pattern was observed with (uncorrected) SUVmean. Partial volume correction increased SUVmean significantly, by 63 and 71% at 1h and 3h imaging, respectively. The highest impact was in breast lesions at 3h, where cSUVmean increased by 87% compared to SUVmean.ConclusionSUVs increased from 1h to 3h in malignant lesions, SUVs of distant recurrence were in general about twice as high as those of local recurrence. Partial volume correction caused significant increases in these values. However, it is questionable, if these relatively modest quantitative advances of 3h imaging are sufficient to warrant delayed imaging in this patient group.Trial registrationClinicalTrails.gov NCT01552655. Registered 28 February 2012, partly retrospectively registered.

Evaluation of 18F-FDG PET/MRI, 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRI, and CT in whole-body staging of recurrent breast cancer

ObjectivesTo compare the diagnostic performance of 18F-fluordesoxyglucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (18F-FDG PET/MRI) with 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT), MRI, and CT in whole-body staging of recurrent breast cancer. Material and methodsTwenty-one consecutive patients (age 59.4±11.5years, range 38.5–76.9 years; 20 female, 1 male) with suspected breast cancer recurrence underwent a clinically indicated 18F-FDG PET/CT and subsequently a 18F-FDG PET/MRI examination in a single injection protocol (mean injected activity: 257±44 MBq 18F-FDG). Each 18F-FDG PET/MRI, 18F-FDG PET/CT, as well as the CT component of PET/CT (CTPET/CT) and MR images of PET/MRI (MRIPET/MRI) were separately evaluated by two radiologists regarding lesion count, lesion localization, and lesion categorization (benign/malignant). The reference standard was based on histopathological results as well as prior and follow-up imaging. A Wilcoxon test assessed differences in SUVmax between 18F-FDG PET/MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT. Correlation of SUVmax between 18F-FDG PET/MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Interobserver agreement on dignity ratings was evaluated using Cohen's kappa. ResultsAccording to the reference standard, 17 patients had breast cancer recurrence. 18F-FDG PET/MRI, 18F-FDG PET/CT, and MRIPET/MRI correctly identified each of the 17 patients, whereas CTPET/CT correctly identified 15 of the 17 patients. A total of 134 lesions were described (116 malignant, 18 benign). 18F-FDG PET/MRI detected all 134 lesions, of which 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRIPET/MRI, and CTPET/CT detected 97.0%, 96.2%, and 74.6%, respectively. 18F-FDG PET/MRI yielded the highest proportion of correctly categorized lesions (98.5%) compared with 18F-FDG PET/CT (94.8%), MRIPET/MRI (88.1%), and CTPET/CT (57.5%). SUVmax was strongly correlated (r=0.72) but measured significantly higher on 18F-FDG PET/MRI than on 18F-FDG PET/CT in corresponding PET-positive lesions (SUVmax: 5.6±2.8 vs. 4.9±1.8; p=0.001). Interobserver agreement on lesion dignity was substantial with 18F-FDG PET/MRI (k=0.65; p<0.001) and 18F-FDG PET/CT (k=0.65; p<0.001). With MRIPET/MRI interobserver analysis yielded a moderate agreement (k=0.56; p<0.001), whereas there was only fair agreement evaluating the CTPET/CT datasets (k=0.31; p=0.002). Conclusions18F-FDG PET/MRI offered the highest diagnostic performance compared with 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRI and CT. Thus, 18F-FDG PET/MRI should be regarded as a valuable alternative in whole-body staging of recurrent breast cancer.

Discordance in receptor status between primary and recurrent breast cancer has a prognostic impact: a single-Institution analysis

Tumor phenotype may change during breast cancer progression. This study evaluates the prognostic impact of receptor discordance between paired primaries and recurrences. One hundred and thirty-nine patients underwent histological sampling of suspected breast cancer recurrence. All the pathology assessments [ER, PgR and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)] on both primaries and confirmed recurrences were performed at the same laboratory. A breast cancer recurrence was confirmed in 119 cases. Rates of discordance were 13.4%, 39% and 11.8% for ER, PgR and HER2, respectively. Ninety-two patients maintained the same tumor phenotype [i.e. the same hormone receptors (HR) and HER2 status], whereas 27 (22.7%) changed during progression. The loss of HR positivity and the loss of HER2 positivity resulted in a worse post-recurrence survival (P=0.01 and P=0.008, respectively) and overall survival (OS; P=0.06 and P=0.0002, respectively), compared with the corresponding concordant-positive cases. Tumor phenotype discordance was associated with worse post-recurrence and OS (P=0.006 and P=0.002, respectively); those cases who turned into triple-negative experienced the poorest outcome, respect to the concordant group (P=0.001, OS). We demonstrated for the first time an impact on OS of phenotype discordance between primary breast cancer and relapse. Among discordant cases, receptor loss resulted in the main determinant of poorer outcome.

Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Detection of Breast Cancer Recurrence: A Systematic Review

Diagnosis of breast cancer recurrence can be difficult as a result of the presence of scar tissue in the breast. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be superior to traditional imaging in diagnosis of recurrence because of its ability to differentiate malignancy from scarring. Current guidelines on investigation of suspected breast cancer recurrence recommend MRI when other investigations have equivocal findings. We performed the first systematic review on this topic. Literature search revealed 35 potentially relevant studies; 10 were included in final analysis. Included were clinical studies comparing MRI with another diagnostic modality for diagnosis of breast cancer recurrence, with at least 10 patients, in the English language. Data extraction focused on sensitivity and specificity of standard diagnostic modalities and MRI for diagnosis of local disease recurrence. In total 494 patients were assessed across 10 studies; all were case series. Sensitivity of MRI for detection of recurrence ranged 75-100 %, while specificity ranged 66.6-100 %. Both sensitivity and specificity increased when MRI was performed after a longer time interval from the original surgery, although the longest follow-up reported was only 36 months. A negative MRI can avoid the need for further biopsy. Available data are based on clinically heterogeneous case series and superiority over standard triple assessment for breast cancer recurrence has not been proven. At present, MRI cannot be recommended in the routine diagnostic assessment for breast cancer recurrence but has a potentially useful role as a second-line investigation. A negative MRI is more useful than a positive MRI as positive MRIs require further investigation.

Diagnostic and therapeutic impact of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence

Breast cancer is a tumor with high prevalence in our environment. Thus, it is essential to make an early diagnosis in both the primary disease and its recurrence, given the high mortality of the cases with the advanced disease. Our study has aimed to evaluate the impact of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence and their therapeutic management. This study analyzed the PET/CT of 70 patients with a background of breast cancer and suspicion of recurrence, either because of elevation of tumor markers (n=28), doubtful findings on other imaging techniques (n=56) and/or suspicious symptoms (n=1). All the patients underwent a standard FDG-PET study acquired in combination with low-dose CT. The studies were considered pathological in 34 of the 70 patients, with 29 true positive, 32 true negative, 5 false positive and 4 false negative results. The final diagnosis was established either by histopathologic confirmation (n=17), other imaging techniques (n=26) and/or clinical radiological follow-up (n=27, mean 12.7 months). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values obtained were 87.8%, 86.4%, 85.2% and 88.8%, respectively. Therapeutic management was modified in 41% of the patients. In conclusion, PET/CT is a technique with high diagnostic yield in patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence.

Impacto diagnóstico y terapéutico de la 18F-FDG-PET/TAC en pacientes con sospecha de recidiva de cáncer de mama

Breast cancer is a tumor with high prevalence in our environment. Thus, it is essential to make an early diagnosis in both the primary disease and its recurrence, given the high mortality of the cases with the advanced disease. Our study has aimed to evaluate the impact of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence and their therapeutic management. This study analyzed the PET/CT of 70 patients with a background of breast cancer and suspicion of recurrence, either because of elevation of tumor markers (n=28), doubtful findings on other imaging techniques (n=56) and/or suspicious symptoms (n=1). All the patients underwent a standard FDG-PET study acquired in combination with low-dose CT. The studies were considered pathological in 34 of the 70 patients, with 29 true positive, 32 true negative, 5 false positive and 4 false negative results. The final diagnosis was established either by histopathologic confirmation (n=17), other imaging techniques (n=26) and/or clinical radiological follow-up (n=27, mean 12.7 months). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values obtained were 87.8%, 86.4%, 85.2% and 88.8%, respectively. Therapeutic management was modified in 41% of the patients. In conclusion, PET/CT is a technique with high diagnostic yield in patients with suspected breast cancer recurrence.

3–12 The Role of FDG-PET/CT in Suspected Recurrence of Breast Cancer

3–12 The Role of FDG-PET/CT in Suspected Recurrence of Breast Cancer

Contrast-enhanced colour Doppler ultrasonography in suspected breast cancer recurrence.

Postoperative scarring and radiotherapy changes in the conservatively treated breast often mimic breast cancer recurrence, resulting in many unnecessary biopsies. Local breast cancer recurrence may be detected more accurately with contrast-enhanced colour Doppler imaging. Fifty-eight women with suspected local breast cancer recurrence were evaluated prospectively by means of conventional and contrast-enhanced colour Doppler imaging before surgical biopsy. Sensitivity for the detection of breast cancer recurrence using contrast enhancement was 94 per cent (specificity 67 per cent). Contrast enhancement significantly increased overall diagnostic accuracy, from 80 to 90 per cent (P < 0. 04). Contrast-enhanced colour Doppler imaging is a highly accurate method for detecting local breast cancer recurrence. Its adoption may substantially reduce biopsy rates.