Diagnostic Value of Axillary Ultrasound, MRI, and <sup>18</sup>F-FDG-PET/ CT in Determining Axillary Lymph Node Status in Breast Cancer Patients
Ayşegül Aktaş, Günay Gürleyik, Sibel Aydın Aksu, Fügen Aker, Serkan Güngör
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Knowing axillary lymph node (ALN) status before surgery affects decisions about treatment modalities. Therefore, reliable, noninvasive diagnostic methods are important for determining ALN metastases. We aimed to accurately evaluate the patient's ALN status with noninvasive imaging modalities while making treatment decisions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: F-FDG-PET/CT) imaging modalities and whose ALNs were confirmed histopathologically by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), or ALN dissection (ALND) were included in the study. RESULTS: F-FDG-PET/ CT images were all reported as negative. CONCLUSION: F-FDG-PET/CT. When we used imaging modalities together, our accuracy rate was better than when we used them alone. For accurate evaluation of axillary lymph nodes, imaging modalities should be complementary rather than competitive.