Title

CA 15.3-driven F-18-FDG PET-CT for early detection of breast cancer recurrence: Diagnostic accuracy and clinical impact

Authors

Sharma Neeraj¹*, Singh Pritam¹, Banipal Raja² & Brar Ripudaman¹

Affiliation

¹Department of Nuclear Medicine, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College & Hospital, Faridkot, Punjab, India; ²Department of Radiation Oncology, Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Sharma Neeraj - E-mail: neerajnmp@gmail.com
Singh Pritam - E-mail: drpssoni@gmail.com
Banipal Raja - E-mail: rajabanipal@gmail.com
BrarRipudaman - E-mail: ripuromana@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received January 1, 2026; Revised January 31, 2026; Accepted January 31, 2026, Published January 31, 2026

Abstract

An isolated rise in serum tumor marker CA 15.3 during post-treatment surveillance of breast cancer patients represents a notable diagnostic challenge. In many such cases, conventional imaging modalities fail to identify occult sites of early disease recurrence. Consequently, this diagnostic limitation may result in a delay in timely and appropriate clinical management. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of whole-body F‑18-FDG PET‑CT imaging in early localization of breast cancer recurrence in patients with elevated CA 15.3 levels. Hence, the study included 50 routine breast cancer patients at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College & Hospital, Faridkot, who showed signs of disease relapse and were monitored for signs of recurrence, based on rising tumor markers. This study found a significant correlation between elevated CA 15.3 levels and PET-CT-detected recurrences in patients. Bone recurrences had the highest combined CA 15.3 levels. PET-CT findings altered clinical management in 80% of cases, with 28/40 receiving targeted radiotherapy, 9/50 initiating new systemic therapy and 3/40 starting with endocrine therapy. PET-CT is essential for the early detection of occult recurrences in breast cancer patients with elevated CA 15.3 levels.

Keywords

Breast cancer; CA 15.3; PET-CT, recurrence; negative conventional imaging, clinical management

Citation

Neeraj et al. Bioinformation 22(1): 107-111 (2026)

Edited by

Rashmi Laddha

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.