Chapter 11: Radiotracers for Imaging of Breast Cancer and Targeted Radionuclide Therapy Check Access

Breast carcinoma is amongst the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality in the world. The treatment paradigm for breast cancer has undergone drastic change with the advent of newer hormonal and targeted therapies. The cornerstone of breast cancer management is proper staging of the disease burden. Traditional imaging techniques, like computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and bone scans, are usually used to stage breast cancer patients. However, breast cancer is a biologically heterogenous entity, and, in recent years, molecularly targeted nuclear medicine techniques have become more and more popular. Positron emission tomography (PET) using 2-deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]-fluoroglucose ([¹⁸F]FDG), known as the work horse of nuclear medicine, is finding increasing use in staging and restaging of breast carcinoma. In this article, we will examine the current role of FDG PET/CT in the treatment algorithm. We will also discuss other nuclear medicine modalities in practice, such as positron emission mammography and sentinel node imaging. Further novel PET probes, targeting hormone receptors, the extracellular matrix, amino acid transporters and angiogenesis, will be described.