18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET is increasingly used in restaging advanced or recurrent breast cancer and in monitoring response to therapy and has received approval for Medicare re-imbursement for these clinical indications. CMS covers PET for breast cancer staging except axillary staging. It covers FDG PET as an adjunct to standard imaging modalities for staging patients with distant metastasis, restaging patients with locoregional recurrence or metastasis and monitoring tumor response to treatment for locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer when a change in therapy is contemplated.
There are few reports in the literature comparing PET with conventional imaging methods for breast cancer staging or restaging, which may be the basis for the Policy. However, there are also guidelines that support its use first line.
NCCN does not specifically address PET for restaging. NICE says: “Positron emission tomography fused with computed tomography (PET-CT) should only be used to make a new diagnosis of metastases for patients with breast cancer whose imaging is suspicious but not diagnostic of metastatic disease. NCCN accepts PET for initial staging of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer when conventional staging studies (e.g., CT or bone scan) are equivocal or suspicious or for follow-up or surveillance patients with breast cancer when conventional studies (e.g., CT or bone scan) are equivocal or suspicious. A recent review (Rosen et al) says: “FDG PET and PET/CT have been shown to be particularly useful in the restaging of breast cancer, in evaluation of response to therapy, and as a problem-solving method when results of conventional imaging are equivocal. In these situations, FDG PET often demonstrates locoregional or unsuspected distant disease that affects management. PET has demonstrated a particular capability for evaluation of chemotherapy response in both patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma and those with metastatic disease.” Tateishi et al (2008) described how PET can be used to also monitor bone disease on therapy.
In summary, use of PET to restage on therapy is quite accepted and widespread and supported by a significant body of literature.
Eric L. Rosen FDG PET, PET/CT, and Breast Cancer Imaging 1 October 2007 RadioGraphics, 27, S215-S229.
National Collaborating Centre for Cancer. Advanced breast cancer: diagnosis and treatment. London (UK): National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); 2009 Feb. 25 p. (NICE clinical guideline; no. 81).
David Mankoff Imaging in breast cancer – breast cancer imaging revisited, Breast Cancer Research 2005, 7:276-278
Benard F, Turcotte E: Imaging breast cancer with single photon computed tomography and positron emission tomography. Breast Cancer Res 2005, 7:153-162.
Bender H, Kirst J, Palmedo H, et al. Value of 18Fluoro-deoxyglucose positron remission tomography in the staging of recurrent breast carcinoma. Anticanc Res. 1997;17:1687-1692.
P VEIT-HAIBACH et al, FDG-PET/CT in restaging of patients with recurrent breast cancer:
possible impact on staging and therapy ESMO (European Society of Medical Oncology). Clinical recommendations for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of
locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, 2005. Available
from: http://www.esmo.org
Tateishi U, Gamez C, Dawood S, Yeung HWD, Cristofanilli M, Macapinlac HA. Bone metastases in patients with metastatic breast cancer: morphologic and metabolic monitoring of response to systemic therapy with integrated PET/CT. Radiology 2008; 247(1): 189–196.
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