Scintimammography (SMM) in breast cancer patients.
The author retrospectively reviewed the scintimammography (SMM) using 201Tl and/or 99mTc-MIBI in 45 breast cancer patients. 36 cases with 37 intact breast masses and another 9 cases with previous excision of the masses were studied. The sensitivity for the detection of the primary breast cancer was 92 per cent and that of ipsilateral axillary lymph node metastasis was only 48 per cent. SMM is helpful for the diagnosis of breast cancer and differentiating malignant from benign masses, thus improving the accuracy of routine mammography. In postoperative cases SMM is helpful to detect palpable local tumor recurrence and axillary node metastasis but it is not accurate enough for assessing the extent of microscopic tumor involvement locally and also distant metastasis. Thus, it is not recommended to use SMM alone for staging of breast cancer.
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Mangkharak
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D013785:Thailand; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes
D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi