RESEARCH ARTICLE Role of 2-[18F] Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose- Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Post-Therapy Surveillance of Breast Cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of 2-[18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in the early detection of breast cancer tumor recurrences and its role in post-therapy surveillance. Methods: FDG-PET/CT was performed on patients with increased serum CA 15-3 levels and/or clinical/radiologic suspicion of recurrence. A group of asymptomatic patients who underwent FDG-PET/CT in the post-therapy surveillance of breast cancer served as the controls. The results were analyzed based on the patients’ histological data, other imaging modalities and/or clinical follow-up. Recurrence was defined as evidence of recurrent lesions within 12 months of the FDG-PET/CT scan. Results: Based on elevated serum CA15-3 levels (n531) and clinical/radiologic suspicion (n540), 71 scans were performed due to suspected recurrence, whereas 69 scans were performed for asymptomatic follow-up. The sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET/CT were 87.5 % and 87.1 % in the patients with suspected recurrenc