Positron emission mammography (PEM): a promising technique for detecting breast cancer

Abstract

We are developing a high specificity technique for detecting the increased metabolic rate of breast tiiinours. The glitcose analog FDG is known to concentrate in breast tiinlours rendering them easily detectable in conventional PET scans. Since PET is a relatively expensive imging technique it has not been used routinely in the detection of breast cancer. Positron emission mtnrnography (PEM) will provide a highly eficient, high sputial resolution, and low cost positron irtulging system whose rnetabolic irnages are co-registered with conventional mnmtnography. Coincidences betweeti hoo BGO blocks CUI into 2 x 2 tnrn squares coitpled to two 7.5 crn square inuiging PMTs are detected and back-projected to form reultirne multiple plane irnages. The design is about 20 tinles more sensitive than a conventional multi-slice PET body scanner, so much less radio-pharmaceiitical can be wed, reducing the patient dose and cost per scan. Protoepe detectors hose been t n d e and extensive rneasurernents done. The device is expected to have an in-plane spatial resolution about 2 intn FWHM. Besides the application as N secondup screening tool the device may be beneficial in rrzeasiiring a tiirrwur's response to ruriio-therapy or cherno-therapy as well as uiding the surgeon in optimizing the removal of inalignant tissue.

The system design, engineering architecture and preliminary results of a lower-cost high-sensitivity high-resolution Positron Emission Mammography camera

“…In order to achieve a high-resolution capability that is needed for small tumor detection in breast cancer, most of those PET/PEM systems are using expensive PositionSensitive PMTs or APD devices, which make their systems either expensive, and/or have very limited detector areas that affect the sensitivity [1]- [4]. Using our low-cost PMT-quadrantsharing (PQS) techniques [5], [6] and the Slab-Sandwich-Slice method [7], we can build largearea detector banks with regular round shape PMTs at considerably lower cost, and achieve very high resolutions at the same time.…”

Lesion detection and quantitation of positron emission mammography

“…A maximum likelihood (ML) estimate can be found by maximizing (1). A popular ML algorithm for PET reconstruction is the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm [11], [12], [13].…”

“…Dedicated PET, commonly referred to as positron emission mammography (PEM), has been developed for imaging breast [1], [2], [3], [4]. Comparing to whole body PET scanners, PEM scanners are built with much less number of detector modules and have higher sensitivity.…”

Comparison of rectangular and dual-planar positron emission mammography scanners

“…Dedicated PET scanners, commonly referred to as positron emission mammography (PEM) cameras, are being developed to improve the cost effectiveness for detecting breast cancers [1][2][3][4][5]. These PEM scanners have special geometries that are different from the conventional circular design of whole body PET scanners.…”

“…Another popular design that has been pursued by researchers is a parallel dual-planar geometry (Fig. 1b) [1], [5]. It is similar to using only the top and bottom detector banks in the rectangular PEM scanner.…”