The role of chemotherapeutic drugs in the evaluation of breast tumour response to chemotherapy using serial FDG-PET

Table 4 Reduction in tumour volumes after four and eight cycles of chemotherapy according to drug regimen

	TAX → FEC	FEC → TAX	P value^a
Total number	31	29
SUV_max reduction after four cycles
Ultrasound	80.6 (-271 to 100)	76.0 (-195 to 100)	0.89
Mammography	54.4 (-100 to 100)	50.7 (-337 to 100)	0.36
PET	75.0 (-11 to 100)	62.7 (-29 to 100)	0.16
According to final pathological response
Complete response	77.3 (-12 to 100)	82.8 (22 to 100)	0.81
Partial response	81.8 (6 to 100)	73.9 (-28 to 100)	0.79
Minor/no response	67.0 (33 to 100)	27.0 (-25 to 68)	0.01
SUV_max reduction after eight cycles
Ultrasound	91.9 (-5.6 to 100)	92.5 (-155 to 100)	0.95
Mammography	77.3 (-119 to 100)	77.5 (-84 to 100)	0.74
PET	84.1 (8.2 to 100)	91.1 (-4.8 to 100)	0.36

Percentage reduction in tumour volumes on mammography and ultrasound, and maximal standard uptake volumes (SUV_max) on [¹⁸F]flourodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) after four and eight cycles of chemotherapy according to drug regimen. Data presented as median (range). TAX, docetaxel (Taxotere^®); FEC, combined flourouracil-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide anthracycline-based chemotherapy. ^aMann-Whitney U test.

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