Detection of Axillary Lymph Node Involvement in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Comparison between Staging (18)F-2-Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose Positron Emission Tomography–Computed Tomography Scans, Mammography, and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) scan in the detection of axillary lymph node (ALN) involvement and comparison with sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in operable early-stage breast cancer (EBC). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: It is a retrospective analysis of staging PET-CT scan of EBC. METHODS: A total of 128 patients with histopathologically proven breast cancer (BC) were included in the study. Preoperative mammography supplemented with ultrasonography and staging (18)F-FDG PET-CT scan was done for all patients. Surgery was done within 30 (mean ± standard deviation = 13.8 ± 10.5) days of staging. SLNB was performed in patients without PET-positive ALNs. All patients with positive sentinel nodes and PET-positive ALNs underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The comparison between categorical variables was made by Chi-square/Fisher's exact test as applicable. For continuous variables comparisons, Student's t-test and one-way analysis of variance tests were used. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of PET-CT scan for detection of ALN involvement were 41.7%, 93.2%, 92.1%, and 45.6%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of mammography were 84.5%, 54.5%, 78.0%, and 68.6%, respectively. Sixteen out of 46 (34.7%) patients with negative ALNs in PET-CT scan finally showed involvement in histopathology report after SLNB resulting in upstage of the disease. The size of tumor deposits in sentinel nodes was significantly smaller than PET-positive ALNs (P = 0.01). Our observations correlate with the results of earlier studies published in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: (18)F-FDG PET-CT scan cannot substitute SLNB for ALN screening in EBC. The limitations are most marked in smaller and micrometastatic tumor deposits in ALNs and may be attributed to limitations of PET resolution. However, PET-positive nodes showed good specificity for disease involvement in our study. Therefore, ALND can safely be performed by omitting SLNB in such cases.