INTRODUCTION

Ga labeled DOTA-Ibandronate (Ga-DOTA-IBA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), is a novel bone-targeting imaging tracer and promising diagnostic method for bone metastases detection. Therefore, this study aimed to compare Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT to the Tc-MDP whole-body bone scan (WBBS) for detecting bone metastases in breast cancer (BC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this prospective study, 45 women with BC underwent imaging via Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT and Tc-MDP WBBS. Clinical and demographic information as well as BC imaging features were recorded. The two methods were compared in terms of their detection rate for bone metastases and the number of lesions.

RESULTS

The 45 women were aged 53.5 ± 11.0 years. The bone metastases detection rate with Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT was 100% (45/45) and with Tc-MDP WBBS was 95.6% (43/45). A total of 546 bone metastases lesions were detected. The lesion detection rate using Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT was 100% (546/546) and using Tc-MDP WBBS was 67.8% (370/546). More lesions were found at each site via Ga-DOTA-IBA than via Tc-MDP WBBS.

CONCLUSIONS

Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT is a more sensitive method than Tc-MDP WBBS for assessing bone metastases in BC and may therefore represent a useful imaging technique for bone metastases, while offering a visual basis for Lu-DOTA-IBA diagnosis and therapy response assessments for BC. Further validation using a broader study cohort is warranted to confirm these findings.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=170163, identifier ChiCTR2200064487.