Improved detection of breast cancer on FDG-PET cancer screening using breast positioning device

• Published in: Annals of nuclear medicine Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 95 - 101
• Main Authors: Kaida, Hayato, Ishibashi, Masatoshi, Fujii, Teruhiko, Kurata, Seiji, Ogo, Etsuyo, Tanaka, Maki, Hayabuchi, Naofumi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Springer Japan 01-02-2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Breast - physiopathology; Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis; Clinical Protocols; Equipment Failure Analysis; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 - pharmacokinetics; Humans; Imaging; Male; Mass Screening - instrumentation; Mass Screening - methods; Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging - instrumentation; Neoplasm Staging - methods; Neoplasm Staging - statistics & numerical data; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Nuclear Medicine; Original Article; Positron-Emission Tomography - instrumentation; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Prone Position; Radiology; Radiopharmaceuticals - pharmacokinetics; Reproducibility of Results; Supine Position; Whole Body Imaging; Prone position; Breast cancer; Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography; Breast positioning device; Cancer screening
• ISSN: 0914-7187; 1864-6433
• DOI: 10.1007/s12149-007-0092-1

Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the detection rate of breast cancer by positron emission tomography cancer screening using a breast positioning device.
Methods
Between January 2004 and January 2006, 1,498 healthy asymptomatic individuals underwent cancer screening by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) at our institution; 660 of 1498 asymptomatic healthy women underwent breast PET imaging in the prone position using the breast positioning device to examine the mammary glands in addition to whole-body PET imaging. All subjects that showed abnormal
18
F-FDG uptake in the mammary glands were referred for further examination or surgery at our institution or a local hospital. Our data were compared with the histopathological findings or findings of other imaging modalities in our institution and replies from the doctors at another hospital.
Results
Of the 660 participants, 7 (1.06%) were found to have breast cancers at a curable stage. All the seven cancers were detected by breast PET imaging, but only five of these were detected by whole-body PET imaging; the other two were detected by breast PET imaging using the breast positioning device.
Conclusions
In cancer screening, prone breast imaging using a positioning device may help to improve the detection rate of breast cancer. However, overall cancer including mammography and ultrasonography screening should be performed to investigate the false-negative cases and reduce false-positive cases. The effectiveness of prone breast PET imaging in cancer screening should be investigated using a much larger number of cases in the near future.