Introduction:

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of all breast cancers and is associated with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. This study aimed to determine the predictive value of [18F]FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters for the occurrence of metastasis in patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Materials and Methods:

This was a 2-year retrospective descriptive and analytical study. All patients diagnosed with TNBC who underwent [18F]FDG PET/CT as part of the extension workup were included. We sought an association between the occurrence of metastases and various metabolic parameters of PET/CT.

Results:

A total of 48 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 49.8 ± 12.6 years. The tumor was unilateral in 93.7% and multifocal in 8.3% of the patients. The predominant histological type was invasive ductal carcinoma (81.2%). The mean tumor size was 38.5 mm, with a mean SUVmax of 7.4 and a mean MTV of 82.4 cm3. Over 2 cm³of patients had metastatic disease. The most frequent secondary sites were the bone (16.7%) and lung (10.4%). PET/CT was used to restage all patients after the initial CT scan. Analysis of the influence of specific clinical and metabolic variables on the occurrence of metastases showed that age > 50 years, tumor size ≥ 20 mm, bilateral involvement, presence of multifocal focus, SUVmax ≥ 5, and MTV ≥ 50 cm3 were associated with the occurrence of metastases in patients.

Conclusion:

Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive histological subtype that is avid for FDG. Our study showed an association between metabolic parameters on PET/CT and the occurrence of metastases in TNBC patients.