[The use of SPECT-CT in the diagnosis of cancerous lesions of axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer].

The purpose of the study was to explore the possibilities of a new hybrid technology of SPECT-CT in the diagnosis of metastatic regional lymph nodes (LN) in patients with breast cancer (BC). There were examined 57 primary patients. All patients underwent axillary lymph node dissection and /or biopsy of sentinel LN followed by histological examination of the material. Metastases in LN were verified in 20 (35%) of 57 examined patients. Sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy of SPECT-CT in the combined use of anatomical and functional criteria for assessing the state of LN accounted for 75%, 89% and 84%, respectively. Sensitivity of SPECT-CT in the diagnosis of massive axillary LN lesion (more than two) in breast cancer patients was 95%. Thus, the new hybrid technology of SPECT-CT, combining functional and anatomical techniques for assessing of pathological changes, is highly informative in the diagnosis of metastatic lesions of regional LN in patients with breast cancer.