Positron emission tomography (PET) can measure metabolic activity of tissue. Cancer cells tend to have a higher metabolism than normal tissue, which can be determined on PET for more accurate detection of cancer.
Using the PET scan after diagnoses of breast cancer to check lymph nodes for cancer was looked at in a study that was published in the Archives of Surgery. What the study found out is that the PET scan can detect 60 percent of patients with positive nodes. These patients that know they have positive nodes might be able to start therapy and avoid the axillary dissection or the sentinel node biopsy. These surgical procedures can often have side effects. By avoiding these surgeries a patient that knows they have positive lymph nodes won't have to wait for surgery and extra time to heal to start chemotherapy or other treatments.
If a patient has a negative PET scan showing no cancer in the lymph nodes the axillary dissection or the sentinel node biopsy should be performed since the PET can only pick up 60 percent of patients cancer in the lymph nodes. The patients could still have microscopic cancer cells that the PET can't pick up so in this case surgery is needed.
Getting accurate information on whether or not the cancer was confined to the breast has a big impact on the treatment plan.
1. As a 10-year breast cancer survivor and having had an axillary node dissection, I am amazed at the continuing technology that makes "invasive" procedures a thing of the past. I remember when I was diagnosed in 1996, the sentinel node biopsy was just starting to gain acceptance, and now we can look forward to even less invasive procedures for cancer detection--like the PET scan. I look forward to the day when "no procedures" will be necessary because we will have a cure!
Connie Pombo
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Posted at 2:25PM on Aug 22nd 2006 by Connie Pombo