Impact on the long-term prognosis of FDG PET/CT in luminal-A and luminal-B breast cancer. Issue 2 (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Urso, Luca; Quartuccio, Natale; Caracciolo, Matteo; Evangelista, Laura; Schirone, Alessio; Frassoldati, Antonio; Arnone, Gaspare; Panareo, Stefano; Bartolomei, Mirco
• Is Part Of: Nuclear medicine communications. Volume 43:Issue 2(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: 2- deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose -- breast cancer -- PET/CT -- recurrence -- tumor markers; Nuclear medicine -- Periodicals; 616.07575
• DOI: 10.1097/MNM.0000000000001500
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-3636

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: The aim of the present study was to explore the prognostic role of 2- deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose PET (FDG PET)/CT in recurrent luminal A and luminal B breast cancer. Materials and methods: From two institutional databases, we retrospectively retrieved data about breast cancer patients undergoing FDG PET/CT between 2011 and 2018 for the assessment of recurrency. Molecular subtypes of breast cancer were defined based on the expression of estrogen, progesterone, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-b receptors and proliferation index. Overall survival (OS, intended as the time from PET/CT and the time of death) was registered for each patient, by checking the medical charts. Parametric and survival analyses were computed. Results: Data of 179 patients were retrieved. Sixty-three patients had luminal A, 88 luminal B and 28 luminal B/He breast cancer. At the time of PET/CT scan, cancer antigen (CA) 15.3 levels was within the normal range in 119 patients, whereas it was increased in 60 patients. FDG PET/CT results were suggestive for disease recurrence in 114 (63.7%) patients. The median time lapse from the FDG PET/CT scan to the last clinical follow-up visit was 51 months (1–192 months). Patients with evidence of a PET/CT scan suggestive for disease recurrence showed a significantly shorter OS ( P < 0.001) compared to patients with no PET/CT evidence of recurrence, in each subset of luminal breast cancer. Moreover, PET/CT was able to stratify the prognosis of patients independently from the level of tumor marker. Conclusion: These data suggest that FDG PET/CT may be an attractive prognostic tool in recurrent breast cancer. Our study supports its prognostic role both in luminal A and B-type molecular subtypes, regardless of the CA 15.3 levels. Abstract : Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.