[Performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of primary breast cancer and staging of the regional lymph nodes].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of primary breast cancer, and the staging of regional lymph nodes.


METHODS
Twenty four females with highly suspected breast cancer, underwent PET/CT imaging of the breast preoperatively. All the patients received no treatment at admission. Three nuclear medicine physicians analyzed the image and made the diagnosis. 32 breast lesions were evaluated by histology, revealing 25 breast carcinomas and 7 benign pathological changes. 23 patients had histological diagnosis of the breast tumor and regional lymph nodes.


RESULTS
20 of 25 breast carcinomas were successfully diagnosed by FDG-PET/CT. The sensitivity was 80% and specificity was 71.4%. No Tis breast carcinoma was detected. 75.0% of T1 breast carcinomas were detected, and with 85.7% of stage T2, 100.0% of T3. 10 patients were proved to have lymph node metastasis, and PET/CT got a sensitivity of 60.0%. As to a suspicious distant metastasis, PET/CT convinced the diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
As a noninvasive technique, FDG PET/CT appears to be a useful method in staging patient with breast cancer, especially in cases in which the lesion is hard to predict by routine examination. But the accuracy of FDG PET/CT seems to be not high enough to identify patients who might avoid axillary lymph nodes dissection. In the detection of breast lesions, PET/CT doesn't seem to have a high sensitivity, especially in early stage breast cancers. The high cost and the space resolution limit its use as a routine diagnostic method of breast cancer.
Zhao
Ting-ting
TT
Department of Breast Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang.
Li
Ji-guang
JG
Li
Ya-ming
YM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D018226:Fibroadenoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18