THE VALUE OF ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT IN STAGING OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AT VIETNAM NATIONAL CANCER HOSPITAL
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Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in the staging of breast cancer patients. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 91 breast cancer patients who underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging prior to treatment at Vietnam National Cancer Hospital between May 2023 and May 2025. Results: The mean age was 53.3 ± 12.03 years. The mean SUVmax of the primary tumor was 12 ± 6.6. SUVmax values increased significantly with tumor stage (p < 0.001). For the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated a sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of 75.5%, 86.2%, and 90.2%; respectively - outperforming conventional imaging modalities (ultrasound, CT, and MRI), which yielded 67.3%, 75.9%, and 82.5%. Axillary metastasis was correlated with nodal SUVmax, nodal size, and primary tumor size (p < 0.05). Notably, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT identified distant metastases in an additional 16 patients (17.6%) and led to stage migration in 30/91 patients (33%). Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT plays a crucial supportive role in the staging of breast cancer patients.
Keywords
Breast cancer, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, Metastasis
Article Details
References
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