Medicinus : Jurnal Kedokteran
Vol. 15 No. 2 (2026): February

Quantitative CT Attenuation Cut-off Values for Lesion Characterization: Enostoses in Patients Without Malignancy Versus Osteoblastic Metastases in Breast Cancer

Pitri, Novita (Unknown)
Wulandari, Mathelda Diah (Unknown)
Nelwan, Dario Agustino (Unknown)
Jorisal, Patricia (Unknown)
Mulyanto, Ivana Dewi (Unknown)
Wijaya, Ratna Sari (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
10 Mar 2026

Abstract

Background: Incidental osteoblastic bone lesions detected on CT scans, such as enostoses and osteoblastic metastases, often pose diagnostic challenges, especially in patients with or without a history of breast cancer. Hounsfield unit (HU) attenuation values have been proposed to differentiate these lesions non-invasively, however, variability in cut-off values exists in prior studies.   Methods: This observational analytic case-control study included adult patients who underwent CT and FDG PET-CT at MRCCC Siloam Semanggi Hospital, Jakarta from 2020 to 2025. Controls were patients with enostoses and no history of malignancy, while cases were breast cancer patients with PET/CT-confirmed osteoblastic metastases. Mean and maximum HU values were measured and analyzed to determine optimal cut-offs.   Result: Mean and maximum HU values were significantly higher in enostoses than in osteoblastic metastases (mean: 1025 ± 123.66 vs. 449.65 ± 106.93; maximum: 1167.77 ± 106.20 vs. 599.34 ± 134.78; p < 0.001). A mean HU cut-off of 692 achieved 100% sensitivity, 98.36% specificity, and an AUC of 0.992. A maximum HU cut-off of 860 showed 79.61% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and an AUC of 0.898.   Conclusions: Mean and maximum HU values on CT are highly effective for differentiating enostoses from osteoblastic metastases in breast cancer patients.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

Medicinus : Jurnal Kedokteran

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology Public Health

Description

Medicinus: Jurnal Kedokteran is an official journal of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Pelita Harapan launched in the year 2007. Medicinus is a peer-reviewed and open-access journal that covers basic, translational, or clinical aspects of health and medical science. Medicinus accepts original ...