Predictive value of preoperative [18F]FDG PET/CT imaging parameters for postoperative recurrence and metastasis in breast cancer patients
- 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University
- 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Diagnosis and Therapy in Nuclear Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College
Abstract
Purpose: To assess the predictive value of preoperative 2-deoxy-2-[¹ ⁸ F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) imaging parameters in forecasting the recurrence and metastasis following surgery among individuals diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 106 female patients with early-stage breast cancer (clinical TNM (cTNM) stage I–II, T1–2, N0–1, M0), all of whom underwent surgical procedures at our institution between January 2021 and December 2023. These individuals were divided into two groups: a non-recurrence group (n=57) and an recurrence/metastasis group (n=49), determined by whether recurrence or metastasis was observed within 24 months postoperatively. Preoperative imaging was carried out using a Discovery 710 scanner, and metabolic parameters were measured. Histological markers were assessed via immunohistochemistry.
Results: Significant differences were observed in lymphovascular invasion, Ki-67 expression, ER positivity, PR positivity, HER2 status, and TNBC subtype between the two groups. Among PET/CT parameters examined, it was observed that the recurrence/metastasis group exhibited significantly higher values for primary tumor (T) metabolic tumor volume (MTV), T total lesion glycolysis (TLG), axillary lymph nodes (N), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), whole body (WB) MTV, and WB TLG. Multivariate logistic regression identified T MTV, T TLG, N SUVmax, WB MTV, and WB TLG as independent risk factors for recurrence and metastasis (all P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that these parameters had good predictive performance, with combined ROC yielding an area under the curve of 0.805.
Conclusion: Preoperative [18F]FDG PET/CT imaging parameters may be valuable predictors of postoperative recurrence and metastasis in early-stage breast cancer patients. These findings highlight the potential utility of metabolic imaging in guiding personalized treatment strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{lin2026predictive,
title = {{Predictive value of preoperative [18F]FDG PET/CT imaging parameters for postoperative recurrence and metastasis in breast cancer patients}},
author = {Nan Lin and Chao Ren and Zhe Wen},
journal = {Frontiers in Oncology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1946005},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1946005/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Predictive value of preoperative [18F]FDG PET/CT imaging parameters for postoperative recurrence and metastasis in breast cancer patients
AU - Nan Lin
AU - Chao Ren
AU - Zhe Wen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1946005
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1946005/full
AB - Purpose: To assess the predictive value of preoperative 2-deoxy-2-[¹ ⁸ F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) imaging parameters in forecasting the recurrence and metastasis following surgery among individuals diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 106 female patients with early-stage breast cancer (clinical TNM (cTNM) stage I–II, T1–2, N0–1, M0), all of whom underwent surgical procedures at our institution between January 2021 and December 2023. These individuals were divided into two groups: a non-recurrence group (n=57) and an recurrence/metastasis group (n=49), determined by whether recurrence or metastasis was observed within 24 months postoperatively. Preoperative imaging was carried out using a Discovery 710 scanner, and metabolic parameters were measured. Histological markers were assessed via immunohistochemistry. Results: Significant differences were observed in lymphovascular invasion, Ki-67 expression, ER positivity, PR positivity, HER2 status, and TNBC subtype between the two groups. Among PET/CT parameters examined, it was observed that the recurrence/metastasis group exhibited significantly higher values for primary tumor (T) metabolic tumor volume (MTV), T total lesion glycolysis (TLG), axillary lymph nodes (N), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), whole body (WB) MTV, and WB TLG. Multivariate logistic regression identified T MTV, T TLG, N SUVmax, WB MTV, and WB TLG as independent risk factors for recurrence and metastasis (all P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that these parameters had good predictive performance, with combined ROC yielding an area under the curve of 0.805. Conclusion: Preoperative [18F]FDG PET/CT imaging parameters may be valuable predictors of postoperative recurrence and metastasis in early-stage breast cancer patients. These findings highlight the potential utility of metabolic imaging in guiding personalized treatment strategies.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -