99mTc-methionine scintimammography in the evaluation of breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The diagnostic utility of a C-methionine scan has been established in breast cancer. We were able to radiolabel methionine with Tc at our institute. Thus, we undertook clinical trials to determine the role of Tc-methionine scans in the detection of breast cancer.


METHODS
Scintimammography was performed in 47 female (median age 44 years, range 28-68 years) patients having palpable breast masses. All of them underwent ultrasound, mammography, fine-needle aspiration cytology, and Tc-methionine scintimammography before surgery. The final diagnosis was made after histopathological examination. Tc-methionine scintimammography was done after injecting 555 MBq of radiotracer intravenously. The results of scintimammography were compared with histopathology.


RESULTS
The histopathological findings were malignant in 33 (70%) and benign in 14 (30%) cases. Scintimammography showed true-positive findings in 29 patients out of 33 cases of breast cancer. True-negative findings were found in 13 out of 14 patients having benign breast lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value were found to be 87.8, 92.8, and 96.6% respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Tc-methionine imaging can provide useful information with reasonably high sensitivity and specificity in evaluating patients having breast masses.
Sharma
Rajnish
R
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Delhi, India. drrsms@rediffmail.com
Tripathi
Madhavi
M
Panwar
Puja
P
Chuttani
Krishna
K
Jaimini
Abhinav
A
Maitra
Sudeshna
S
Chopra
Mahinder Kumar
MK
Sawroop
Krishan
K
Shukla
Gauri
G
Mondal
Anupam
A
Mishra
Anil
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001940:Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008715:Methionine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013667:Technetium; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013667:Technetium; D008715:Methionine