Metabolic Positron Emission Tomography in Breast Cancer

Katherine Cecil; Laura Huppert; Rita Mukhtar; Elizabeth H Dibble; Sophia R O'Brien; Gary A Ulaner; Courtney Lawhn-Heath

doi:10.1016/j.cpet.2023.04.004

Metabolic Positron Emission Tomography in Breast Cancer

PET Clin. 2023 Oct;18(4):473-485. doi: 10.1016/j.cpet.2023.04.004. Epub 2023 Jun 25.

Authors

Katherine Cecil¹, Laura Huppert², Rita Mukhtar³, Elizabeth H Dibble⁴, Sophia R O'Brien⁵, Gary A Ulaner⁶, Courtney Lawhn-Heath⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
² Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
³ Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.
⁵ Divisions of Molecular Imaging and Therapy Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁶ Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Irvine, CA, USA; Departments of Radiology and Translational Genomics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: courtney.lawhnheath@ucsf.edu.

PMID: 37369614
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpet.2023.04.004

Abstract

Metabolic PET, most commonly 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT), has had a major impact on the imaging of breast cancer and can have important clinical applications in appropriate patients. While limited for screening, FDG PET/CT outperforms conventional imaging in locally advanced breast cancer. FDG PET/CT is more sensitive than conventional imaging in assessing treatment response, accurately predicting complete response or nonresponse in early-stage cases. It also aids in determining disease extent and treatment response in the metastatic setting. Further research, including randomized controlled trials with FDG and other metabolic agents such as fluciclovine, is needed for optimal breast cancer imaging.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG); PET/CT; Positron emission tomography (PET).

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Breast Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
Breast Neoplasms* / pathology
Female
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Humans
Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography / methods
Positron-Emission Tomography
Radiopharmaceuticals
Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Radiopharmaceuticals