title: 18FDG PET-CT for diagnosis of distant metastases in breast cancer patients. A meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the value of (18)FDG PET-CT for diagnosis of distant metastases in breast cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies about PET-CT were systematically searched in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. We calculated sensitivities, specificities, likelihood ratios, and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves for PET-CT. We also compared the performance of PET-CT with that of conventional imaging by analyzing studies that had also used conventional imaging on the same patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Across 8 PET-CT studies (748 patients), sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT were 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.90-0.98) and 0.95 (95% CI = 0.92-0.97). Across 6 comparative studies (664 patients), sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT were 0.97 (95% CI = 0.84-0.99) and 0.95 (95% CI = 0.93-0.97), and of conventional imaging were 0.56 (95% CI = 0.38-0.74) and 0.91 (95% CI = 0.78-0.97), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with conventional imaging, (18)FDG PET-CT has higher sensitivity for diagnosis of distant metastases in breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Medical Center of Breast Disease, Anhui Tumor Hospital, Anhui Medical University, No. 107 Huan-hu East Road, Hefei 230001, PR China.
authors.forename: Shikai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Junhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shengying
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals