Impact of 18FDG PET/CT on Clinical Management, Cost Effectiveness, and Radiation Exposure in Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients

We conclude that in the initial staging of BC, 18FDG PET/CT compared with CT-CAP+BS has a significant impact on decision-making by upstaging the disease in stage II and III and detecting more metastatic lesions in stage-IV disease. Furthermore, 18FDG PET/CT is more cost-effective and imparts significantly lower radiation exposure as compared with CT+CAP+BS. These findings support the inclusion of 18FDG PET/CT in the initial staging of stage II-IV BC.