Clinical value of18F-FDG-PET/CT in recurrent and metastatic breast cancer

Yueming ZHANG

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To explore the clinical significance of18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT for the treatment of recurrent and metastatic breast cancer.

Methods:

From January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017, all of 45 patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma were selected by pathological diagnosis. According to the results of progesterone receptors (PR), estrogen receptor (ER), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) and Ki-67, all patients were divided into Luminal A, Luminal B, HER-2 over expression and Basal-like types. All patients underwent18F-FDG PET/CT, then the correlations of the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) of glucose with the different ER, PR, HER-2 status, molecular subtype and tumor grade of breast cancer were analyzed. Of 18 patients underwent18F-FDG PET/CT again after chemotherapy, and these patients were divided into metabolic reaction group (SUVmax change rate ≥20%, n = 12) and no metabolic response group (SUVmax change rate < 20%, n = 6), then the overall survival time of the two groups of patients was analyzed.

Results:

The18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax in ER negative group (n = 19), PR negative group (n = 27) or HER-2 positive group (n = 7) was higher than that in corresponding ER positive group (n = 26), PR positive group (n = 18) or HER-2 negative group (n = 38) (all P < 0.05), respectively. The18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax in Basal-like and HER-2 over expressed groups were higher than that in Luminal A group (P < 0.001, P = 0.010). The18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax in Basal-like group was higher than that in Luminal B group (P = 0.011). The18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax in G3 group was higher than those in G2 and G1 groups (both P < 0.05). The median survival time of patients with breast cancer in metabolic reaction group was longer than that in no metabolic response group (P = 0.001).

Conclusion:

Different ER, PR, HER-2 status, tumor grading, and molecular typing all affect18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax.18F-FDG PET/CT SUVmax is correlated with the overall survival time of patients with recurrent metastatic breast cancer.