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Comparing whole body 18F-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography and technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scan to detect bone metastases in patients with breast cancer

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Abstract

Purpose. At present, bone metastases are usually assessed using conventional technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate whole-body bone scan, which has a high sensitivity but a poor specificity. However, positron emission tomography with 18F-2-deoxyglucose (FDG-PET) can offer superior spatial resolution and improved specificity. We attempted to evaluate the usefulness of FDG-PET for detecting bone metastases in breast cancer and to compare FDG-PET results with bone scan findings.

Patients. The study group comprised 48 patients with biopsy-proven breast cancer and suspected of having bone metastases who underwent bone scan and FDG-PET to detect the bone metastases. The final diagnosis of bone metastases was established by operative, histopathological findings or during a clinical follow-up longer than 1 year by additional radiographs or following FDG-PET/bone scan findings showing progressive widespread bone lesions.

Results. A total of 127 bone lesions including 105 metastatic and 22 benign bone lesions found by either FDG-PET or bone scan were evaluated. Using FDG-PET, 100 metastatic and 20 benign bone lesions were accurately diagnosed, and using bone scan 98 metastatic and 2 benign bone lesions were accurately diagnosed. The diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy of FDG-PET were 95.2% and 94.5%, and of bone scan were 93.3% and 78.7%, respectively.

Conclusions. Our findings suggest that FDG-PET shows a similar sensitivity and a better accuracy than bone scan for detecting bone metastases in patients with breast cancer.

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Yang, .S., Liang, .J., Lin, .F. et al. Comparing whole body 18F-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography and technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scan to detect bone metastases in patients with breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 128, 325–328 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-002-0342-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-002-0342-5

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