title: Effect of (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging in patients with clinical Stage II and III breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the potential effect of using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the initial assessment of patients with clinical Stage II or III breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  During 14 consecutive months, 39 patients (40 tumors) who presented with Stage II or III breast cancer on the basis of a routine extension assessment were prospectively included in this study. PET/CT was performed in addition to the initial assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 3 cases, PET/CT showed extra-axillary lymph node involvement that had not been demonstrated with conventional techniques. Two of these patients had hypermetabolic lymph nodes in the subpectoral and infraclavicular regions, and the third had a hypermetabolic internal mammary node. PET/CT showed distant uptake in 4 women. Of these 4 women, 1 had pleural involvement and 3 had bone metastasis. Overall, of the 39 women, the PET/CT results modified the initial stage in 7 (18%). The modified staging altered the treatment plan for 5 patients (13%). It led to radiotherapy in 4 patients (bone metastasis, pleural lesion, subpectoral lymph nodes, and internal mammary nodes) and excision of, and radiotherapy to, the infraclavicular lymph nodes in 1 patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PET/CT can provide information on extra-axillary lymph node involvement and can uncover occult distant metastases in a significant percentage of patients. Therefore, initial PET/CT could enable better treatment planning for patients with Stage II and III breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Breast Diseases Unit, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France. dgroheux@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Groheux
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baillet
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Espie
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giacchetti
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hindie
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hennequin
authors.forename: Jacques-Robert
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Vilcoq
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuvier
authors.forename: Marie-Elisabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Toubert
authors.forename: Jean-Emmanuel
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Filmont
authors.forename: Farid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sarandi
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Misset
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18