FDG-PET/CT in the diagnosis of recurrent breast cancer

• Published in: Acta radiologica (1987) 2012-02, Vol.53 (1), p.12-16
• Main Authors: Murakami, Ryusuke, Kumita, Shin-ichiro, Yoshida, Tamiko, Ishihara, Keiichi, Kiriyama, Tomonari, Hakozaki, Kenta, Yanagihara, Keiko, Iida, Shinya, Tsuchiya, Shin-ichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Follow-Up Studies; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Mammary gland diseases; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multimodal Imaging - methods; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - diagnostic imaging; Neoplasms, Second Primary - diagnostic imaging; Positron-Emission Tomography; Predictive Value of Tests; Radiopharmaceuticals; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Reproducibility of Results; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tumors
• ISSN: 0284-1851; 1600-0455
• DOI: 10.1258/ar.2011.110245

Background An advantage of PET/CT has been demonstrated for diagnosis of several tumor entities. In patients with breast cancer, early diagnosis and accurate restaging of recurrence after surgery is important for selection of the most appropriate therapeutic strategy. Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of integrated positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), for follow-up of patients with suspected recurrent breast cancer. Material and Methods Forty-seven patients with suspected recurrent breast cancer underwent PET/CT. The PET and PET/CT images were interpreted without knowledge of the results of other diagnostic modalities, and compared with each other with reference to the final diagnosis. Results Twenty-five (53%) patients suffered tumor recurrence. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of PET/CT were 96%, 91%, 92%, 95%, and 94%, respectively. In comparison with PET, PET/CT had a higher sensitivity and accuracy (96% vs. 80% and 94% vs. 81%, respectively). The difference in diagnostic accuracy between PET/CT and PET was significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion The present findings indicate that PET/CT is an accurate, sensitive and reliable modality for screening and detection of breast cancer recurrence. PET/CT appears to be an effective surveillance tool, as it is able to cover the whole body in a single procedure and shows good performance.