The aim of this prospective study was to assess the ability of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanning to predict pathological complete response (pCR) in breast cancer, and to investigate whether timing of the scan and trastuzumab treatment influence the accuracy of pCR prediction in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer patients. Here, ERBB2 is linked to breast carcinoma.