PET-CT for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Although most patients with clinically node-negative, early-stage breast cancer do not undergo radiologic imaging to detect metastatic disease, patients with locally advanced disease typically undergo radiologic evaluation with bone scan and computed tomography (CT) of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis to confirm that a curative-intent strategy, including local therapy, should be recommended. Some clinicians advocate the use of positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) as a better tool to detect metastatic disease.

Canadian investigators conducted a randomized trial comparing ¹⁸F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT to conventional staging (bone scan, CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis) in 369 patients with clinical stage III (T0N2, T1N2, T2N2, T…