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| |  Long-Term Follow-Up Using PET-CT Can Help Detect Lymph Node Recurrence in Breast Cancer: Presented at SABCS By Ed Susman SAN ANTONIO, Tex -- December 13, 2009 -- Researchers suggested here at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) that serial follow-up of breast cancer patients using positron emission tomography-computer-assisted tomography (PET-CT) can identify lymph node recurrences in about 9.3% of high-risk women over a 10-year period. “We believe that by finding these recurrences early we can cure these women,” said Shozo Ohsumi, MD, Breast Oncology, National Hospital Organization Shikoku Cancer Center, Matsuyama, Japan, during his poster presentation on December 12. Dr. Ohsumi said that of the 1,908 women who had definitive surgery at his institution between April 2006 and December 2008 and underwent PET-CT imaging, 0.3% of 1,157 node-negative patients were found to have lymph node recurrences; 1.4% of 475 women with 1 to 3 positive nodes were found to have lymph node recurrences; and 5.4% of 188 women with >=4 positive lymph nodes were found to have lymph node recurrences. “If we follow the node-positive breast cancer patients for 10 years -- with an annual or biennial examination -- with PET-CT, in 9.3% of patients isolated regional lymph node recurrences will be detected,” said Dr. Ohsumi. In addition to finding the isolated lymph node recurrences, the researchers said the scanning devices also identified 1 lung cancer, 2 gastric cancers, 1 colon cancer, 2 rectal cancers, 2 pancreas cancers, one of which was inoperable, 1 endometrial cancer, 4 thyroid cancers, and 2 contralateral breast cancers. “The use of PET-CT in follow-up of postoperative node-positive breast cancer patients may improve their survival because of early detection of isolated regional node recurrences which are still potentially curable and screening of other asymptomatic cancers,” Dr. Ohsumi said. The women in the study were aged 22 to 91 years. The median interval between the imaging examinations was 48 months. The study reported results of 3,283 PET-CT examinations involving the cohort. Dr. Ohsumi said that imaging for distant metastasis has not been recommended in postoperative breast cancer because little survival advantage was seen in older imaging studies. “However, use of new imaging modalities in follow-up of postoperative breast cancer patients may improve their survival due to detection of small regional lymph node recurrences without distant metastases who are potentially curable.” [Presentation title: Detection of Isolated Regional Lymph Node Recurrences by PET-CT in Follow-Up of Postoperative Breast Cancer Patients. Abstract 4009]
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