Nuclear Medicine in Breast Cancer Based on FOCUS Meeting 6

Breast cancer is the most relevant cancer in women worldwide. It is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer (after lung cancer) and the first leading cause of cancer-related death in women, being the fourth globally regardless of gender. By 2040, breast cancer is predicted to increase to over 3 million new cases and 1 million deaths per year.

Staging patients with breast cancer is challenging due to its heterogeneous nature and presentation. Imaging is of utmost importance in all clinical settings, particularly, in staging, assessing therapy response, and detecting recurrence. Despite the well-stablished usefulness of radiologic modalities, Nuclear Medicine has demonstrated an important role to play in breast cancer, which has been increasingly supported by strong scientific evidence. Considering the patient’s long survival, the benefits of assessing active tumour in an accurate way, gain major importance in these patient’s care.

The recent equipment and radiopharmaceutical developments have opened the path to improve tumour characterization through several imaging possibilities. Currently, the challenge is to use the correct combination of equipment and tracer at the right time. Furthermore, homogenize imaging and clinical procedures is becoming even more important.

During this course, the highlights from the consensus reached during the multidisciplinary EANM Focus Meeting 6 about Nuclear Medicine diagnostics and therapeutics possibilities will be comprehensively presented and discussed in a close way between the faculty and attendees.

1. To understand breast cancer as a heterogeneous disease, its characteristics and evolution;
2. To define the role of nuclear medicine techniques in different clinical settings (initial staging, assessing therapy response, and detecting recurrence);
3. To know the potential usefulness of PET tracers beyond FDG in each breast cancer subtype and use of the evolving PET technology & equipment;
4. To discuss future diagnostic and treatment approaches with radiopharmaceuticals.

Nuclear Medicine physicians, Radiologists, Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, Medical students, Residents, Nurses, Nuclear Medicine technologists and Radiographers.