Pilot clinical trial of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission mammography in the surgical management of breast cancer

Background: High-resolution positron-emission mammography (PEM) is a new device, which allows the imaging of breast tissue. A prospective study was performed to assess the accuracy of PEM in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Methods: In a prospective multicenter study, 44 women with confirmed breast cancers were imaged with a high-resolution PEM scanner (Naviscan PET Systems, Rockville, MD) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose. The images were blindly evaluated and were compared with final pathology. Results: The majority of the index lesions were seen on PEM (89%, 39/44). PEM detected 4 of 5 incidental breast cancers, 3 of which were not seen by any other imaging modalities. Of 19 patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery, PEM correctly predicted 6 of 8 (75%) patients with positive margins and 100% (11/11) with negative margins. Conclusion: The current PEM device shows promise in detecting breast malignancies and may assist in the planning of adequate partial mastectomy procedures to better ensure negative margins. (c) 2005 Excerpta Medica Inc. All rights,reserved.