Skeletal metastases from breast cancer: imaging with nuclear medicine

Breast cancer is a disease that commonly metastasizes to bone, increasing morbidity, mortality, and health service costs. The 99m technetium (99mTc) diphosphonate bone scan historically has played a significant part in the evaluation of skeletal disease and continues to be one of the most clinically utilized investigations in the staging and follow up of breast cancer patients. More tumor-specific radiopharmaceuticals are now being evaluated and, in particular, 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18FDG PET) may have a greater role in this disease in the future.