Highlights
- •Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) provides simultaneous metabolic and anatomic assessment of disease.
- •PET has limited sensitivity and specificity for detecting primary breast cancers.
- •Additionally, CT provides limited value due to inferior contrast and spatial resolution as compared to digital mammography.
- •Incidental focal breast or axillary FDG uptake on PET/CT can present a diagnostic challenge. We present a review of differential considerations.
Abstract
Incidental focal FDG uptake in the breast or axilla on PET/CT performed for evaluation
of extra-mammary primary disease presents a diagnostic challenge. Radiologists must
consider a broad differential diagnosis, assess clinical history, and judiciously
employ other imaging modalities such as mammography, ultrasound and MRI in the pursuit
of findings which help narrow the differential diagnosis. Tissue sampling may be reserved
for nondiagnostic imaging scenarios.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 14, 2017
Accepted:
June 2,
2017
Received in revised form:
May 19,
2017
Received:
February 28,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
