99m Tc-sestamibi scintimammography in detection of recurrent breast cancer

The aim of this study was to asses the accuracy of 99mTc-sestamibi scintimammography in patients with suspected recurrent breast cancer in the breast or loco regional tissues. After routine analyses in twenty-eight women (clinical examination, ultrasound, X-ray mammography, and fine needle aspiration biopsy) they were examined by scintimammography. All patients with suspected recurrent cancer in the breast or loco regional tissues (19) undergone surgery and the final diagnosis was determined by histopathological examination. Another 9 patients were followed 6-24 months. The scintigraphic studies were correlated with radiological findings and/or with histopathology. There were 19 patients with recurrent tumours (15 with loco-regional recurrent and 4 in another breast). X-ray mammography identified 13 of these cancers. 99mTc-sestamibi scintimammography identified seventeen of recurrent breast cancers. In the seven out of nine patients without cancer, scintimammography were reported as having no changes consistent with cancer. X-ray mammography showed suspected cancer lesions in four out of nine patients without cancer. There were two false-positive scintimammograms and one false negative. Axillary lymph node recurrence occurred in four patients. All of them were positive on scintimammography. 99mTc-sestamibi scintimammography showed higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy per patient than did X-ray mammography (90,9% vs. 63,6%, 71,4% vs. 57,1% and 83,3% vs. 61,1%, respectively). To identifying recurrent breast cancer disease is better to use scintimammography than X-ray mammography.