FDG-PET in Predicting Response Rates in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

The assessment of metabolic response and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) may assist physicians in predicting the likelihood of achieving pathological complete response (pCR), according to an article published online in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

The authors of this study aimed to assess the response of metabolic tumors to 18F- FDG-PET compared to using clinicobiological markers to predict pCR to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Participants included 50 women diagnosed with TNBC and an indication for NAC. Evaluated factors included pre-treatment clinical, biological, and pathological biomarkers (eg, Scarff-Bloom-Richardson [SBR] grade, the Ki-67proliferation index, EGFR).

Furthermore, FDG-PET was used to assess the baseline tumor glucose metabolism and its change after the first cycle of NAC (ΔSUV_max).

Results showed the pCR rate (42%) was associated with a high Ki-67 proliferation index (P=0.016), a negative EGFR result (P=0.042), and a high ΔSUV_max (P=0.002). Negative EGFR status (OR=6.4; P=0.043) and high ΔSUV_max (OR=7.1; P=0.014) were both determined to be independent predictors of pCR.

A combination of a low ΔSUV_max and a positive EGFR status result predicted non-pCR in patients with a 92% accuracy.