Clinical practice guidelines for high-resolution breast PET, 2019 edition

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Breast positron emission tomography (PET) has been covered by insurance in Japan since 2013 when used with conventional whole-body PET.
• Accurate breast cancer examination and metastatic disease diagnosis with breast PET aid treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update readers on the second edition of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine's practice guidelines for breast PET.
• To provide an overview of updated breast PET technologies, imaging methods, clinical applications, and future prospects.

Main Methods:

• The revised guidelines encompass two detector-placement types of breast PET: opposite-type (positron emission mammography; PEM) and ring-shaped type (dedicated breast PET; dbPET).
• The guidelines define "breast PET" to include both PEM and dbPET devices.

Main Results:

• The second edition of the guidelines supports both PEM and dbPET, offering guidance on their use.
• The updated guidelines aim to facilitate safer, smoother, and more appropriate breast PET examinations.

Conclusions:

• Up-to-date breast PET practice guidelines are crucial for evidence-based breast imaging.
• The revised guidelines provide valuable information for healthcare professionals utilizing advanced breast PET technologies.