Comparison of ¹⁸F-fluorothymidine Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Patients with Breast Cancer

The uptake of 18F-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT) depends on cells’ proliferative rates. We compared the characteristics of 18F-FLT positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with those of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT for breast cancer. We prospectively diagnosed patients with breast cancer who underwent 18F-FLT PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT. Subsequently, significant differences and correlation coefficients of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in primary breast cancer and axillary lymph nodes were statistically evaluated. We enrolled eight patients with breast cancer. In six treatment-naive patients, the SUVmax for primary lesions showed a significant difference (mean, 2.1 vs. 4.1, p = 0.031) and a strong correlation (r = 0.969) between 18F-FLT and 18F-FDG. Further, although the SUVmax for the axillary lymph nodes did not show a significant difference between 18F-FLT and 18F-FDG (P = 0.246), there was a strong correlation between the two (r = 0.999). In a patient-by-patient study, there were cases in which only 18F-FDG uptake was observed in lymph nodes and normal breasts. Bone metastases demonstrated lower accumulation than bone marrow on the 18F-FLT PET/CT. In conclusion, a strong correlation was observed between the 18F-FLT PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT uptake. Differences in the biochemical characteristics of 18F-FLT and 18F-FDG were reflected in the accumulation differences for breast cancer, metastatic lesions, and normal organs