Who is a Candidate for Nuclear Medicine Breast Imaging?
Nuclear medicine breast imaging is not a screening tool for breast cancer. However, after a physical breast exam, mammography, and ultrasound are performed, nuclear medicine breast imaging may be appropriate for certain patients. Supplemental breast imaging helps determine whether a patient has a suspicious breast abnormality that would require a biopsy to confirm the presence of breast cancer. Nuclear medicine breast imaging may be appropriate for patients with: • Dense breast tissue • Large, palpable (able to be felt) abnormalities that cannot be imaged well with mammography or ultrasound • Breast implants • When multiple tumors are suspected (see below) • A lump at the surgical site after mastectomy (breast removal) since scar tissue may be difficult to distinguish from other tumors with other breast imaging exams • To check the axillary (underarm) lymph nodes to determine whether they contain cancer cells (sentinel lymph node biopsy) Like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the bre
