Monitoring the chemotherapy response in primary breast cancer using 18F-FDG PET
SONG Wu-zhan1, WANG Jing1, CHI Jun2, WANG Xi-qing1, WANG Yun-ya1, WANG Ying1, ZHANG Zi-tai1
1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710033, China; 2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kunming General Hospital of Chengdu Military Commanding Region, Kunming 650032, China
Abstract：Objective: To evaluate the response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of patients with primary breast cancer in early stage using 18F-FDG PET imaging. Method: 18F-FDG PET tomography fusion imaging were performed on 31 patients with primary breast cancer at pre-chemotherapy, after the first and the third course of treatment. Tumor-to-normal tissue background(T/N) ratios were measured for all scans, all patients were diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration(FNA) cytology. According to the evaluation criterion of WHO for tumor chemotherapy curative effect, all patients were divided into two groups, responders[R(+), n=22] and non-responders[R(-), n=9]. Results: Before chemotherapy, the T/N value of R(+) and R(-) group were 3.18±0.41 and 3.14±0.52(P>0.05) respectively. After the first and the third course of treatment, the T/N value of R(+) group decreased significantly from 3.18±0.41 to 2.62±0.38 and 2.06±0.45(P<0.05) respectively. However in the R(-) group T/N value decreased slightly from 3.14±0.52 to 3.01±0.47 and 2.87±0.27(P>0.05). The decrease percentage of T/N in R(+) group after the first and the third course of treatment were significantly higher than those in the R(-) group, being 16.12%±7% and 33.42%±6%, 4.09%±3%(P<0.05) and 8.89%±6%(P<0.01) respectively. In the R(+) group, the decrease percentage in T/N after the first and the third course treatment had significant difference?穴16.12%±7% and 33.42%±6%, P<0.05), but in R(-) group there were no significant difference(P>0.05). Using a decrease of T/N value≥10% as a threshold for monitoring the treatment response at the end of the first course of treatment, 18F-FDG PET imaging had a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 100%. Conclusions: The results suggested that 18F-FDG PET imaging had a certain clinical value to evaluate the chemotherapy response in primary breast cancer in early stage.
2006, Vol. 17 
