Seoul Asan Hospital Research on Breast Cancer Imaging Diagnosis Method Becomes Global Standard Test

Seoul Asan Hospital Breast Cancer Center Research Team
18F-FES PET Scan
"Accurately Diagnosing Recurrent and Metastatic Breast Cancer Difficult to Biopsy"

A breast cancer hormone receptor imaging diagnostic method developed by domestic medical staff has become the global standard test.

Professor Hansangwon from the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Seoul Asan Medical Center is performing an 18F-FES PET scan on a patient.
[Photo by Seoul Asan Medical Center]

Seoul Asan Medical Center announced on the 14th that the 18F-FES (Fluoroestradiol) positron emission tomography (PET) test, whose safety and efficacy were first proven by the Breast Cancer Center (Department of Nuclear Medicine Professors Moon Dae-hyuk and Han Sang-won, Department of Oncology Professor Kim Seong-bae, Department of Breast Surgery Professor Lee Jong-won), was recently published as a guideline by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in the United States.

Breast cancer treatment varies depending on the presence of female hormone receptors, making accurate diagnosis important. The guideline recommends performing the 18F-FES PET test to diagnose the presence of female hormone receptors in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

The 18F-FES PET test diagnoses breast cancer hormone receptors by injecting the 18F-FES drug, which can measure the biological activity of estrogen receptors, a female hormone, and then conducting a PET scan. When biopsy is difficult or impossible, this imaging test can accurately and safely diagnose metastatic lesions throughout the body without pain.

Treatment for breast cancer varies depending on the presence of female hormone receptors. Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, which accounts for 70% of breast cancer patients in Korea, requires anti-hormone therapy because cancer cells grow in response to hormones.

Even in cases of recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, treatment methods are determined based on the hormone receptor diagnosis results, requiring additional biopsy. However, if the recurrent sites are multiple or the metastatic locations make biopsy difficult or impossible, the 18F-FES PET test is recommended as one of the standard diagnostic tests in such cases.

The Breast Cancer Center at Seoul Asan Medical Center has led the development and clinical application of the 18F-FES PET test. The research results were also adopted as key evidence when the American Society of Nuclear Medicine and the Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine, prestigious societies in the field of nuclear medicine, announced appropriate use criteria for the 18F-FES PET test.

Professor Moon Dae-hyuk of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Seoul Asan Medical Center said, "It is expected that breast cancer patients worldwide with recurrent or metastatic disease, for whom biopsy was difficult or impossible, will be able to diagnose the presence of female hormone receptors more safely and accurately and receive the most appropriate treatment." He added, "We will continue to lead global research to improve cancer patients' survival rates and provide personalized treatment."

Kim Seong-bae, Director of the Breast Cancer Center at Seoul Asan Medical Center, said, "Along with the advancement of breast cancer diagnostic technologies such as 18F-FES PET, treatments including chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and radiation therapy are also gradually improving, aiming for a 5-year breast cancer survival rate of 95%." He added, "Especially for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, which has a relatively high risk of late recurrence and receptor changes, patients can achieve good outcomes if they do not lose hope and actively engage in treatment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.