Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Clinical and Translational Imaging, cilt.13, sa.4, ss.407-420, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Purposes: This study is a prospective observational study investigating the diagnostic performance of [18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and [68Ga]Ga -DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-Octreotate (DOTATATE) Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography (CT) in patients with breast cancer, specifically focusing on the uptake patterns related to hormone receptor status (Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2). Methods: This prospective study included 16 patients (mean age 53 ± 11 years) with biopsy-proven breast cancer who underwent both [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT imaging for initial staging. The receptor status of the primary lesions was determined from biopsy pathology reports. The images were analyzed both visually and semi-quantitatively, with an emphasis on the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the lesions. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among 16 therapy-naïve breast cancer patients, no statistically significant differences were observed between [¹⁸F]FDG and [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in SUVmax, SUVmean, MTV, TLG, SRETV, or TLSRE values (p > 0.05). Axillary metastases were present in 8 patients; both tracers detected 7 of these cases, with DOTATATE showing higher specificity. FDG identified all bone (4/4) and liver (1/1) metastases, whereas DOTATATE failed to detect the liver lesions. Krenning scores of ≥ 3 were observed in 3 patients. No significant association was found between tracer uptake and hormone receptor status. Conclusion: [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-TATE PET/CT yielded results similar to those of [18 F]FDG PET/CT in breast cancer imaging, with no significant differences in uptake patterns related to hormone receptor status. These findings suggest the possibility that in the future, targeted radionuclide therapy (e.g., with [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE) will be explored in metastatic breast cancer if prospectively confirmed. However, so far, there is not enough evidence to support routine use. This study enhances the understanding of somatostatin receptor imaging in breast cancer and emphasizes the need for further research in this area.