[Contribution of positron emission tomography to the detection and staging of breast cancer].
BACKGROUND
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a diagnostic imaging tool with multiple applications in oncology. One of the more promising applications in breast cancer is noninvasive lymph node staging and detection of distant metastases, which may provide useful information about prognosis and treatment response.


METHODS
Published studies on FDG-PET applications in breast cancer detection and staging were reviewed. We also present our own experience in patients referred for preoperative staging of breast cancer.


RESULTS
FDG-PET is very useful in evaluating dense breasts, multicentric disease and breast prostheses. The sensitivity of FDG-PET for nodal staging is low, and consequently it cannot replace either sentinel lymph node biopsy or histologic examination. However, it is more accurate than another noninvasive techniques and is very useful in internal mammary node chain evaluation. FDG-PET can improve and maybe replace conventional imaging in detecting metastatic disease, especially in high risk patients with locoregionally advanced recurrent breast cancer or increased serum tumor markers, and helps to characterize unclear findings of anatomic imaging techniques or scintigraphy.


CONCLUSIONS
FDG-PET is useful in breast cancer staging. It complements and even improves information from other diagnostic techniques and changes therapeutic management in a high proportion of patients.
Domínguez
M Luz
ML
Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina, Badajoz, Spain. mluzovi@yahoo.es
Suárez
Juan Pablo
JP
Maldonado
Antonio
A
García-Bernardo
Lucía
L
García-Rico
Eduardo
E
Cornide
María
M
de las Heras
Pedro Mateo
PM
Serna
José Antonio
JA
Ortega
Fernando
F
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18