ECR 2014: PEM shows both high specificity and sensitivity for breast cancer

VIENNA—Positron emission mammography (PEM) was found to have 100 sensitivity for all imaged breast tumors, according to a study being presented during the 2014 European Congress of Radiology (ECR) scientific sessions.

PEM was evaluated by a team of researchers including Frank Muller, MD, a practicing partner for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Ludwigshafen in Ludwigshafen, Germany. A total of 122 lesions suspected to be breast cancer were examined using a region of interest at the target lesion and another contrasting region of interest from the opposite healthy breast tissue. Two independent readers interpreted scans and data were also compared to histopathology. Further statistical analyses were conducted for all resulting data.

Out of the 122 lesions, 22 were found to be malignant. PEM was found to be positive for all of the cancerous tumors for 100 percent sensitivity. Specificity was also high, at 97 percent. Cancer detection was at its peak when observed at the PEM uptake value maximum cut off greater than 1.9.

“PEM detects breast cancer with high sensitivity and high specificity,” noted Muller via press release. “The higher specificity causes a lower rate of biopsies, surgeries, chemotherapy and costs; therefore an evidence based study will start in Germany.”

Further studies are needed to validate these results in larger patient populations before the use of PEM could be made more mainstream for the detection of breast cancer.