The role of radiotracer imaging in the diagnosis and management of patients with breast cancer: part 1--overview, detection, and staging.

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Advances in diagnosis and treatment have led to declines in mortality, despite an increase in breast cancer incidence. An advancing array of both local and systemic therapy options has led to increasingly individualized treatment. Imaging plays a key role in detecting breast cancer and directing its therapy. This continuing education article, part 1 in a 2-part series, provides a comprehensive review of current and future radiotracer imaging methods applied to breast cancer, in the context of breast cancer management strategies and other nonnuclear imaging methods. Part 1 of the review provides an overview of clinical and biologic considerations in breast cancer and covers radionuclide imaging for detection and staging. Part 2 will cover radionuclide imaging of breast cancer response to therapy, other clinical indications for radionuclide breast cancer imaging, and future directions, including molecular imaging.