Reporting Breast Cancer

According to Cancer Research UK, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases (2017).

PET-CT Scans Performed 2022-2023

At our institution, breast cancer accounts for 2% of all PET-CT scans performed.

The evidence-based indications for use of PET-CT in the UK 2016 list four indications for FDG PET-CT in breast cancer:

1. Assessment of multi-focal disease or suspected recurrence in patients with dense breasts.
2. Differentiation of treatment-induced brachial plexopathy from tumour infiltration in symptomatic patients with an equivocal or normal MR.
3. Assessment of extent of disease in selected patients with disseminated breast cancer before therapy.
4. Assessment of response to chemotherapy in patients whose disease is not well demonstrated using other techniques: for example, bone metastases.

The use of PET-CT in these indications will be studied in detail in this course, which is comprised of one module, followed by a case-based assessment.

• Tutorial 1: Utility of FDG PET-CT in Breast Carcinoma

Learning Objectives

• Describe the breast and axilla anatomy
• Describe lesion location and staging in the breast
• Describe patterns of uptake on breast FDG PET-CT imaging
• Discuss the growing utility in treatment response

Suitable for radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians who intend to train to report PET-CT, or who otherwise encounter these studies in their practice and wish to increase their confidence, for example in the role of a presenting radiologist at an MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team).

Please note: To mark this course as complete on your Learning Dashboard and access your certificate of completion, you must finish all learning modules and submit the course evaluation.

References:

1. Evidence-based indications for the use of PET-CT in the United Kingdom 2022
2. Cancer Research UK. Accessed November 2023.