Significance of hormone receptor status in comparison of 18F -FDG-PET/CT and 99mTc-MDP bone scintigraphy for evaluating bone metastases in patients with breast cancer: single center experience.

BACKGROUND Fluorine-18 deoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/ CT) and bone scintigraphy (BS) are widely used for the detection of bone involvement. The optimal imaging modality for the detection of bone metastases in hormone receptor positive (+) and negative (-) groups of breast cancer remains ambiguous. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-two patients with breast cancer, who had undergone both 18F-FDG-PET/CT and BS, being eventually diagnosed as having bone metastases, were enrolled in this study. RESULTS 18F-FDG-PET/CT had higher sensitivity and specificity than BS. Our data showed that 18F-FDG- PET/CT had a sensitivity of 93.4% and a specificity of 99.4%, whiel for BS they were 84.5%, and 89.6% in the diagnosis of bone metastases. κ statistics were calculated for 18F-FDGPET/CT and BS. The κ-value was 0.65 between 18F-FDG-PET/CT and BS in all patients. On the other hand, the κ-values were 0.70 in the hormone receptor (+) group, and 0.51 in hormone receptor (-) group. The κ-values suggested excellent agreement between all patient and hormone receptor (+) groups, while the κ-values suggested good agreement in the hormone receptor (-) group. CONCLUSIONS The sensitivity and specificity for 18F-FDG-PET/CT were higher than BS in the screening of metastatic bone lesions in all patients. Similarly 18F-FDG-PET/CT had higher sensitivity and specificity in hormone receptor (+) and (-) groups.