Combination PET/CT Scan Brings Hope for Patients with a Deadly Form of Breast Cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare form of breast cancer. The five-year survival rates are not nearly as good for women who suffer from IBC when compared to other forms of breast cancer. In a recent press release, researchers announced that they have discovered new treatment options to use in the fight against IBC.

A diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer calls for quick action. Time is of the essence. Treatment for IBC must be aggressive. IBC can cause death within a year. It is often mis-diagnosed and may be mistaken for a breast infection in younger women.

Researchers have discovered that by using a particular type of combination PET and CT scan, they can identify the specific areas where inflammatory breast cancer is located, and most importantly, how far and where it has spread. The PET scan allows radiologists to see what is occurring inside the body at the molecular level, that is, they can see far more detail than what other scans allow.

This information is critical when treating inflammatory breast cancer because it lets the oncologist and surgeon know exactly what is going on inside of the body. Armed with this information, they can undertake the best series of treatments to defeat IBC.

"PET/CT is useful in staging inflammatory breast cancer, because it provides information on both the primary disease site, as well as disease involvement throughout the rest of the body. In addition, PET/CT is also a practical tool for therapeutic planning." said Selin Carkaci, M.D., assistant professor of diagnostic radiology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) in Houston.

Unlike other types of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer is very aggressive and spreads incredibly quickly. Less than five percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer develop inflammatory breast cancer. The five-year survival rate is only 25 to 50 percent according to the American Cancer Society.

Typically, IBC causes the breast (or breasts) to be warmer than the rest of the body, or even hot, to the touch, to have redness, and to be swollen. There may, or may not be, a lump that a patient can feel. By the time most people notice that something is wrong, IBC has usually spread (metastasized) to other areas that contribute to the low five-year survival rate.

IBC is typically treated with chemotherapy, then surgery, followed by radiation. Hopefully this new treatment will begin to be utilized, increasing the survival rate for people who fall victim to this form of cancer.

The official name of the combination scan that can help determine the best treatment is fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT).

Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/rson-pbn112007.php