Added diagnostic value of SPECT to evaluate bone metastases in breast cancer patients with normal whole body bone scan

In this research, we aimed to survey the added value of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in comparison with planar whole body bone scan to visualize bone metastatic lesions in patients with breast cancer.

A total of 80 patients with breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma) were examined with planar whole body bone scan and SPECT imaging using 99mTc-labelled methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP). The patients with abnormal uptakes in SPECT imaging were also investigated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Among these 80 patients with normal whole body bone SPECT scan, 19 (23.25%) of them revealed abnormal 99mTc-MDP uptake in skeleton. Furthermore, these 19 patients were subjected to MRI and 3 (3.75%) of them were confirmed with metastatic bone lesion.

The obtained data suggest that SPECT possess the added diagnostic over planar whole body bone scan.