The role of PET/CT for nodal staging in primary stage II/III breast cancer patients
Modalities that are conventionally used for regional and distant metastases staging, in clinical stage II/III breast cancer patients (ultrasonography, computed tomography [CT], MRI and bone scan), may underestimate the spread of the disease. The 18-fluoro-deoxy-glucose whole body PET with CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) is able to more accurately visualize the number of axillary lymph node metastases, the internal mammary chain, periclavicular lymph node metastases and distant disease than the previously mentioned modalities. Therefore, PET/CT scanning in stage II/III breast cancer results in a more individualized therapy plan. Additionally, 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning seems useful to monitor response of pre-operative systemic treatment in axillary lymph node metastases and for the primary tumor in ER+ and triple-negative breast cancer subtypes.
Click here to view the full article in our partner journal Breast Cancer Management.
