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

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> 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 imagingmodality for the detection of bone metastases in hormone receptor positive (+) and negative (-) groups of breastcancer remains ambiguous. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: Sixty-two patients with breast cancer, who had undergoneboth 18F-FDG-PET/CT and BS, being eventually diagnosed as having bone metastases, were enrolled in thisstudy. <br/><b>Results</b>: 18F-FDG-PET/CT had higher sensitivity and specificity than BS. Our data showed that 18F-FDGPET/CT had a sensitivity of 93.4% and a specificity of 99.4%, whiel for BS they were 84.5%, and 89.6% in thediagnosis of bone metastases. κ statistics were calculated for 18F-FDGPET/CT and BS. The κ-value was 0.65between 18F-FDG-PET/CT and BS in all patients. On the other hand, the κ-values were 0.70 in the hormonereceptor (+) group, and 0.51 in hormone receptor (-) group. The κ-values suggested excellent agreement betweenall patient and hormone receptor (+) groups, while the κ-values suggested good agreement in the hormonereceptor (-) group. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: The sensitivity and specificity for 18F-FDG-PET/CT were higher than BS inthe screening of metastatic bone lesions in all patients. Similarly 18F-FDG-PET/CT had higher sensitivity andspecificity in hormone receptor (+) and (-) groups.