Diagnostic Potential of<sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT with Estrogen Receptor– and Progesterone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer Undergoing Staging or Restaging for Metastatic Disease
<sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT has low sensitivity for estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor (ER/PR)-positive breast cancer. By contrast, gastrin-releasing peptide receptor is overexpressed in ER/PR-positive breast cancer. This study assessed the diagnostic potential of <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT in staging or restaging metastatic ER/PR-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer. <b>Methods:</b> Patients with ER/PR-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer with clinical suspicion for metastatic disease undergoing staging or restaging were prospectively enrolled. All patients underwent <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT, in addition to standard <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT. ER/PR-positive and HER2-negative status was confirmed in prior biopsy samples (primary or metastatic). Conventional imaging (<sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT, bone scan, and diagnostic CT) was required within 3 wk of <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT. <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT and <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT were assessed visually and quantitatively. Visually, all scans were read masked by 2 readers, with a third reader if results were discordant. <b>Results:</b> Twenty patients were enrolled, all with ER/PR-positive and HER2-negative histopathology. Of these, 75% (15/20) had lobular-subtype cancer, 40% (8/20) had suspected metastatic disease at diagnosis, and 60% (12/20) underwent restaging after systemic therapy. Overall, 75% (15/20) of the <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT scans and 65% (13/20) of the <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT scans were positive on visual assessment. For 50% (10/20) of patients, both scans were positive, and for 10% (2/20) of patients, both scans were negative. In the staging group, 75% (6/8) of patients had positive <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT and 50% (4/8) of patients had positive <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT. At restaging, 75% (9/12) of patients had positive <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT and 75% (9/12) of patients had positive <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT. Sites of positive <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT and negative <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT disease were identified in 50% (4/8) of staging patients and 42% (5/12) of restaging patients, whereas negative <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT and positive <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT disease was found in none of the staging patients but 58% (7/12) of the restaging cohort. Of these, 71% (5/7) of patients had a reduction in their ER status in the most recent biopsy samples. Quantitatively, the median SUV<sub>max</sub> was higher for <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT (20.5; interquartile range, 5.8-31.3) than for <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/CT (7.4; interquartile range, 4.9-9.8). <b>Conclusion:</b> <sup>68</sup>Ga-NeoB PET/CT has diagnostic potential in the staging of ER/PR-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer. Further evaluation is warranted.
Authors
- Shikha Agrawal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3214-786X)
- Belinda E. Kiely (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1662-3523)
- Aron Poole (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7893-5293)
- Cindy Mak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5812-8371)
- Shikha Sharma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5879-0055)
- Alexander Maxwell Menzies (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5183-7562)
- Yoland Antill (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6366-5523)
- Keith Wong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5191-5233)
- Benjamin Forster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9356-8639)
- Louise Emmett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4895-7384)
- Narjess Ayati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8482-4119)
- Sherrington Li
- Adam Hickey
- Lina Pugliano
- Zahra Sabahi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6861-0209)
- Nathan Papa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3188-1803)
- Frances M. Boyle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1665-2137)
- Rachel Dear (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8554-9550)
- Andrew J. Spillane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8354-434X)
- Elgene Lim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8065-8838)
- Sobia Khan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3006-3910)
- Andrew Nguyen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3796-1625)
- Diana Adams
Institutions
- Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals (AU)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research (AU)
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- St Vincent's Hospital Sydney (AU)
- St Vincent's Clinic (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Nuclear Medicine
- Published
- 2025-03-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.124.268896
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.08