Selective axillary surgery in breast cancer patients based on positron emission tomography with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose: not yet!
We prospectively evaluated 31 patients with invasive breast cancer. Preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) for detection of axillary lymph node metastases was compared with the histopathologic status of the sentinel lymph node (SLN). Sensitivity of PET imaging was 43%, specificity and negative predictive value were 94 and 67%, respectively. The smallest metastasis detected by PET measured 3 mm in diameter. The results of this study suggest that detection of small axillary lymph node metastases is limited by the currently achievable spatial resolution of PET imaging. Selective axillary surgery in breast cancer patients based on 18F-FDG PET is yet not possible.
Guller
Ulrich
U
Department of Surgery, University of Basel, Switzerland.
Nitzsche
Egbert U
EU
Schirp
Udo
U
Viehl
Carsten T
CT
Torhorst
Joachim
J
Moch
Holger
H
Langer
Igor
I
Marti
Walter R
WR
Oertli
Daniel
D
Harder
Felix
F
Zuber
Markus
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18