Contribution of 18-FDG-PET/TC in the handling of the locally advanced stadiums of breast cancer

Conventional imaging modalities provide only morphological details and do not provide information on the metabolic status of a lesion, which is very important in differentiating a benign from a malignant lesion. Early diagnosis and reliable imaging assessment of response to treatment are essential in the clinical management of breast cancer. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) has been widely shown to be highly useful for the diagnosis of palpable masses, for staging, for obtaining long-term prognostic information, and for demonstrating tumour response to chemotherapy at an early phase or after completion of treatment in patient with breast cancer. Twenty-three consecutive female patients with primary breast carcinoma (T3/T4,N2,M0) were prospectively recruited for AT--TDG and tumour 18F-IDG update (standardized update value, SUV was used as a metabolic indicator. There was a positive relationship between tumour metabolic and response to chemotherapy and pathological conditions SUV provides an index of regional tracer uptake and a reduced SUV are indicative of tumour regression. (authors)