18F-FDG PET/CT for the Evaluation of Therapy Response in Hormone Receptor-Positive Bone-Dominant Metastatic Breast Cancer

Radiol Imaging Cancer. 2022 Nov;4(6):e220032. doi: 10.1148/rycan.220032.

Abstract

Fluorine 18 (18F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT has shown promise for use in assessing treatment response in patients with bone-only or bone-dominant (BD) metastatic breast cancer (mBC). In this single-institution, prospective single-arm study of 23 women (median age, 59 years [range, 38-81 years]) with biopsy-proven estrogen receptor-positive bone-only or BD mBC about to begin new endocrine therapy between October 3, 2013, and August 3, 2018, the value of early 4-week 18F-FDG PET/CT in predicting progression-free survival (PFS) was evaluated. 18F-FDG PET/CT was performed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and peak SUV (SUVpeak) were measured for up to five index lesions. The primary end point was PFS. Secondary end points were overall survival (OS) and time to skeletal-related events (tSREs). All end points were compared between responders (reduction of 30% or more in the sum of SUVmax for target lesions) and nonresponders at 4 weeks and 12 weeks. Percentage change from baseline in SUVmax at 4- and 12-week 18F-FDG PET/CT were highly correlated (r = 0.81). At the 4-week time point PET responders had numerically longer PFS (14.2 months vs 6.3 months; P = .53), OS (44.0 months vs 29.7 months; P = .47), and tSRE (27.4 months vs 25.2 months; P = .66) compared with nonresponders, suggesting the clinical utility of 4-week 18F-FDG PET/CT as an early predictor of treatment failure. Keywords: Breast Cancer, Metastatic Breast Cancer, Bone-Dominant Metastatic Breast Cancer, FDG PET/CT, Estrogen-Receptor Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Supplemental material is available for this article. Clinical trial registration no. NCT04316117 © RSNA, 2022.

Keywords: Bone-Dominant Metastatic Breast Cancer; Breast Cancer; Estrogen-Receptor Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer; FDG PET/CT; Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Publication types

  • Clinical Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Bone Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
  • Bone Neoplasms* / secondary
  • Bone Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Estrogens / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Fluorine / therapeutic use
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
  • Prospective Studies
  • Receptors, Estrogen / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Estrogens
  • Fluorine
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Receptors, Estrogen

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04316117