Factors affecting the accuracy of F-18-FDG PET/CT in detecting additional tumor foci in breast cancer

Simsek A., Kutluturk K., Comak A., Akatli A., Kekilli E., Unal B.

ARCHIVES OF HELLENIC MEDICINE, vol.38, no.2, pp.207-214, 2021 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 38 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Journal Name: ARCHIVES OF HELLENIC MEDICINE
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, EMBASE
  • Page Numbers: pp.207-214
  • Keywords: Breast cancer, Multicentricity, Multifocality, PET/CT, Tumor foci, GUIDELINES, DENSITY, MRI, ASSOCIATION, TOMOGRAPHY, AGE
  • Inonu University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of F-18-FDG PET/CT for detecting additional tumor foci in breast cancer. MATERIAL-METHOD The data were reviewed retrospectively of 232 women who underwent F-18-FDG PET/CT examination prior to breast cancer surgery between January 2013 and December 2018. RESULTS Additional tumor foci were suspected in 95 cases on F-18-FDG PET/ CT, which were confirmed by histopathological analysis in 81 cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy of F-18-FDG PET/CT in detection of additional tumor foci were 77.7%, 79.48%, 66.3%, 87.32%, and 79.23%, respectively. The false negative and false positive rates were 22.22% and 20.51%, respectively. In univariate analysis, only the patient's age was positively associated with accuracy of F-18-FDG PET/CT in detecting additional tumor foci. The accuracy was lower in women aged <= 50 years, with a substantial increase in false positive findings in women in that age group. CONCLUSIONS F-18-FDG PET/CT alone cannot replace conventional diagnostic procedures for evaluating additional tumor foci in breast cancer, as a substantial increase in false positive findings is recorded with this method in women aged <= 50 years old.