|
Recent Research on Nuclear Medicine Breast Imaging
In a recent study conducted by Italian researchers, mammography and nuclear medicine breast imaging were compared
in 134 women aged 32 to 78. While the overall accuracy of the two tests were similar, mammography was less
likely to identify breast cancer in the younger women than the nuclear medicine test. This suggests
that nuclear medicine may be effective in women with dense breast tissue. The researchers concluded that nuclear
medicine may help in surgical planning because of its high specificity and could be considered complimentary
to mammography, especially in younger women. A Turkish study also found that nuclear medicine breast imaging may be
helpful in detecting breast cancer that had spread to the axillary (armpit) lymph nodes. In fact, nuclear
medicine imaging is sometimes used with sentinel lymph node biopsy to help
determine if the lymph nodes contain cancer cells.
In another study by researchers from the Los Robles Regional Medical Center in California, nuclear medicine
breast imaging was evaluated in 75 patients with signs on either mammography or physical exam that might
or might not have indicated breast cancer. Of the 30 diagnosed cancers, 27 were positively identified with
nuclear medicine. Eight of those 27 cancers were not identified with mammography or physical exam, and 11
of the cancers were smaller than one centimeter. The researchers concluded that nuclear medicine is a useful
method of evaluating patients with indeterminate (difficult to read) mammograms or physical exams and may
help detect additional small breast tumors. However, further research is needed to confirm the results of
this study, especially since previous studies have shown that nuclear medicine may not be helpful in
detecting small breast abnormalities.
Click here to learn more about recent research on nuclear medicine breast imaging.
Sample Nuclear Medicine Breast Imaging Results
Case #1:
This nuclear medicine study shows normal breast anatomy and no nodules in this patient:
Case #2:
In the following case of a 40-year old woman, a physician-performed clinical breast
exam revealed a mass in the right breast. The mammogram images showed extremely dense
breasts and no suspicious masses or calcifications. However, the technetium sestamibi
image showed focal uptake in the right breast in the area of palpable mass. A breast
biopsy was then performed and the pathology results showed infiltrating ductal
carcinoma, a type of breast cancer.
The patient’s mammogram shows extremely dense breasts and no suspicious masses or
calcifications:
This right lateral technetium sestamibi image shows focal uptake
in the right breast in the area of the palpable (able to be felt) mass. Image courtesy of Miraluma:
Additional Resources and References
Updated: May 4, 2008
< Prev | 1 | 2
Return to Breast Health
Main Menu |
