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.