Comparison of 18FDG PET-CT and bone scintigraphy for detection of bone metastases in breast cancer patients. A meta-analysis

We performed a meta-analysis to compare the accuracy of 18FDG PET-CT and bone scintigraphy for the detection of bone metastases in breast cancer patients. Studies about 18FDG PET-CT and bone scintigraphy for the detection of bone metastases in breast cancer patients were systematically searched in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. We calculated sensitivities, specificities, diagnostic odds ratios, and likelihood ratios, and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves using bivariate regression models for 18FDG PET-CT and bone scintigraphy, respectively. Across 7 studies (668 patients), sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.82–0.98) and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.95–1.00), and of bone scintigraphy were 0.81 (95% CI = 0.58–0.93) and 0.96 (95%CI = 0.76–1.00), respectively. Area under curves for PET-CT and bone scintigraphy was 0.98 (95% CI = 0.98–1.00) and 0.94 (95% CI = 0.92–0.96), respectively. Compared with bone scintigraphy, 18FDG PET-CT may higher sensitivity and accuracy for detection of bone metastases in breast cancer patients.