Scintimammography with a Hybrid SPECT/CT Imaging System

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 27; no. 1B; pp. 557 - 562
• Main Authors: SCHILLACI, Orazio, DANIELI, Roberta, FILIPPI, Luca, ROMANO, Pasquale, COSSU, Elsa, MANNI, Carlo, SIMONETTI, Giovanni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Attiki International Institute of Anticancer Research 01.01.2007
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Female; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Mammary gland diseases; Mammography - methods; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon - methods; Tumors; Radionuclide study; hybrid imaging; Hybrid; Breast cancer; Malignant tumor; Photon; SPECT/CT; Mammary gland diseases; Cancerology; Medical imagery; Scintimammography; Tc-99m sestamibi; Emission tomography
• ISSN: 0250-7005; 1791-7530

Background: Planar scintimammography is useful for characterizing breast lesions >10 mm. Our aim was to evaluate Tc-99m sestamibi scintimammography with a hybrid (SPECT/CT) device for functional anatomical mapping (FAM). Patients and Methods: Three planar images and a chest SPECT/CT were performed with a hybrid device in 53 patients with mammographically suspicious lesions. The final histopathological diagnosis was obtained after surgery. Results: The planar images were positive in 27 out of 37 carcinomas (sensitivity 73%) and the SPECT/CT in 33 (sensitivity 89.2%). The sensitivity of planar imaging and SPECT/CT was 42.9% and 71.4% in cancers ≤10 mm, and 91.3%, and 100% in cancers >10 mm, respectively. The specificity was 93.8% for both planar and SPECT/CT imaging; accuracy was 79.2% for planar scans and 90.6% for SPECT/CT. FAM was useful in providing a precise anatomical localisation of the SPECT findings. Conclusion: SPECT/CT scintimammography using a hybrid device is able to detect breast cancer, showing a sensitivity higher than that of planar images, especially for small cancers.