Comparisons between glucose analogue 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose and 18F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography/computed tomography in breast cancer patients with bone lesions

Figure 1 A 49-year-old breast cancer patient with bone relapse. A lytic lesion on the fifth lumbar vertebra was detected with computed tomography in absence of local pain (A). The lesion showed high uptake both at ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT (B) and ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT (C), thus confirming its malignant nature. No further ¹⁸F-FDG avid metastasis was highlighted (E). By contrast a focal area of high ¹⁸F-NaF uptake was evident in the anterior branch of the seventh rib on the left side (F). This area was indeed corresponding to a small sclerotic indeterminate lesion on the CT and was considered as a further site of disease (D). The patient started systemic therapy rather than a targeted radiotherapy on the fifth lumbar vertebra. ¹⁸F-FDG: 2-deoxy-2-(¹⁸F)fluoro-D-glucose; ¹⁸F-NaF: ¹⁸F-sodium; PET/CT: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography.