The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend assessment with positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-D-glucose integrated with computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in staging of breast cancer, starting from the stage IIIA. Previously, PET/CT contributed to the accurate staging from the stage IIB. Our aim is to evaluate the contribution of 18F-FDG PET/CT in staging of breast cancer patients. A total of 234 patients were retrospectively evaluated. PET/CT was performed preoperatively in 114/234 and postoperatively in 120/234 patients. Initial staging was performed based on histopathological results in 125/234 and clinical results in 109/234 patients, according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) classification. All patients had a normal abdominal ultrasound and chest x-ray. Following PET/CT imaging, modification in the staging was performed in patients with the metastatic findings. In 42/234 (17.9%) patients hypermetabolic extra-axillary regional lymph nodes and in 65/234 patients (27.7%) distant metastatic involvement were detected with PET/CT. Modification in the staging was applied in 82/234 (35%) patients. Patient management was changed in 69/234 (29.4%) cases. The percentage of patients with upstaging, according to each stage, was as follows: IIA: 18.6%, IIB: 30%, IIIA: 46.3%, IIIB: 68.8%, and IIIC: 20.8%. In 43/43 patients, 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) bone scan did not show additional bone metastasis. In 5/32 patients, metastatic involvement was detected with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), but preoperative PET/CT scan did not reveal hypermetabolic lymph nodes. Although our study was limited by the referral bias and lack of homogeneity in the referral group, PET/CT still significantly contributed to the accurate staging and management of our breast cancer patients, starting from the stage IIA.

中文翻译：

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18F-FDG PET / CT成像在乳腺癌分期中的价值。

国家综合癌症网络（NCCN）指南建议使用正电子发射断层显像与2-脱氧-2- [氟-18]氟-D-葡萄糖结合计算机断层显像技术（18F-FDG PET / CT）进行乳腺癌分期评估，从IIIA阶段开始。以前，PET / CT有助于IIB阶段的准确分期。我们的目的是评估18F-FDG PET / CT在乳腺癌患者分期中的作用。回顾性评价了总共234例患者。术前114/234行PET / CT，术后120/234例行PET / CT。根据美国癌症联合委员会（AJCC）分类，根据组织病理学结果125/234和109/234患者的临床结果进行初始分期。所有患者的腹部超声和胸部X线检查均正常。在进行PET / CT成像后，对有转移发现的患者进行分期修改。PET / CT检测到42/234（17.9％）的代谢亢进的腋窝外淋巴结肿大患者和65/234患者（27.7％）的远处转移受累。分期的修改适用于82/234（35％）患者。69/234（29.4％）病例的患者管理发生了变化。根据每个阶段，升级患者的百分比如下：IIA：18.6％，IIB：30％，IIIA：46.3％，IIIB：68.8％和IIIC：20.8％。在43/43例患者中，99mTc-亚甲基二膦酸酯（MDP）骨扫描未显示其他骨转移。在5/32例患者中，前哨淋巴结活检（SLNB）检测到转移受累，但术前PET / CT扫描未发现代谢亢进的淋巴结。