Breast Cancer: Targets and Therapy (Jul 2017)

Comparative diagnostic accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT for breast cancer recurrence

  • Piva R,
  • Ticconi F,
  • Ceriani V,
  • Scalorbi F,
  • Fiz F,
  • Capitanio S,
  • Bauckneht M,
  • Cittadini G,
  • Sambuceti G,
  • Morbelli S

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 9
pp. 461 – 471

Abstract

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Roberta Piva,1 Flavia Ticconi,1 Valentina Ceriani,1 Federica Scalorbi,2 Francesco Fiz,1 Selene Capitanio,3 Matteo Bauckneht,1 Giuseppe Cittadini,4 Gianmario Sambuceti,1 Silvia Morbelli5 1Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, 2Nuclear Medicine Unit, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, 3Nuclear Medicine Unit, ASUITS, Trieste, 4Department of Radiology, IRCCS AOU San Martino – IST, 5Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino – IST, Genoa, Italy Abstract: In the last decades, in addition to conventional imaging techniques and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) has been shown to be relevant in the detection and management of breast cancer recurrence in doubtful cases in selected groups of patients. While there are no conclusive data indicating that imaging tests, including FDG PET/CT, produce a survival benefit in asymptomatic patients, FDG PET/CT can be useful for identifying the site of relapse when traditional imaging methods are equivocal or conflicting and for identifying or confirming isolated loco-regional relapse or isolated metastatic lesions. The present narrative review deals with the potential role of FDG PET in these clinical settings by comparing its accuracy and impact with conventional imaging modalities such as CT, ultrasound, bone scan, 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT (18F-NaF PET/CT) as well as MRI. Patient-focused perspectives in terms of patients’ satisfaction and acceptability are also discussed. Keywords: breast cancer, positron emission tomography, restaging

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