The role of breast scintigraphy in detecting breast masses

127 breast scans were performed on 83 female patients using technetium-99m diphosphonate. 46 out of 48 patients with breast cancer had positive breast scans manifested by a focal increased uptake in 37 patients and a diffuse increased uptake in the remaining 9 patients. Benign breast lesions such as fibrocystic disease, fibroadenoma and fat necrosis may also concentrate the radioactive agent in a focal or a diffuse pattern. So breast scanning is a sensitive though nonspecific modality to detect malignant breast lesions and it is worthwhile performing it on all women referred for bone scan.     

The post therapy breast.

Both systemic and local therapy, for conditions of the breast and unrelated to it, may produce mammographic changes. Some of these are characteristic, such as the pattern of scarring seen in reduction mammoplasty. In many other instances, however, the changes produced overlap features commonly seen in malignancy. A knowledge of the timing, natural history and spectrum of these changes will aid mammographic interpretation.     

The added benefit of digital breast tomosynthesis in second breast cancer detection among treated breast cancer patients

Objectives

We aimed to compare the recall rate (RR) and the cancer detection rate (CDR) of combined full field digital mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis (FFDM?+?DBT) to those of full field digital mammography (FFDM) alone in breast cancer survivors.

The spontaneous disappearance of breast calcification

The spontaneous disappearance of both coarse and fine calcification in the breast was noted in 11 cases who presented either with breast symptoms or to a screening unit. While fine and coarse calcification occur in benign disease, the spontaneous regression of this finding appears not to have been reported previously.     

The supraclavicular recurrence of breast carcinoma

Between January 1970 and December 1978 39 patients with isolated supraclavicular recurrence of breast cancer were referred to the Department of Radiotherapy and Radiobiology, University of Vienna. All patients have had mastectomy as primary treatment. In 46% of the patients a surgical excision of involved lymph node has been performed before irradiation. The median interval between mastectomy and supraclavicular recurrence was 26 months. The cumulative incidence after three years was 75%. 15 patients have shown complete local response during the whole follow-up time. In 38 patients, osseous and/or visceral metastasis were observed after a median interval of eight months. After two years, 87% of the patients presented distant disease. 15 patients suffered on local pain in the supraclavicular region or in the ipsilateral shoulder with lymph oedema of the arm. The median survival after therapy was 18 months. The death rate after three years was 77%. Patients with a recurrence-free interval after mastectomy less than two years had a median survival time of eleven months whereas patients with a recurrence-free interval had 26 months.     

The role of nuclear medicine in breast cancer detection: functional breast imaging

Mammography remains the imaging modality of choice in detection of early, nonpalpable breast cancer. Scintimammography using SPECT, however, may prove to be a very useful adjunct to a nondiagnostic or difficult mammogram. Further prospective studies have to be designed so that the specific clinical applications of this technique are more defined. As with any new imaging procedure, special care to obtain high-quality scintimammographic studies and sufficient training of staff to perform and interpret the imaging are necessary.     

乳腺X线摄影与MRI对致密型乳腺内病变的诊断

目的:比较乳腺X线摄影与MRI对致密型乳腺病变的诊断价值.方法:搜集同时行乳腺X线摄影及MRI检查的致密型乳腺患者185例,所有病例均经病理证实,分别分析两种方法的影像学表现,并与病理对照.结果:185例患者中组织病理学为恶性者80例,良性105例.乳腺X线摄影诊断致密型乳腺恶性病变的敏感度、特异度、阳性预测值及阴性预...     

The role of ultrasound in breast imaging

Sonography has become an important tool for evaluating breast abnormalities, including inflammatory processes, hematomas, ductal ectasia, cysts and solid lesions. This article describes protocols for ultrasound imaging of the breast and the sonographic appearance of common breast conditions, with particular attention to differentiating benign from malignant lesions. Ultrasound's role in interventional breast procedures and radiation therapy planning also are discussed.     

The use of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile breast scintigraphy to evaluate palpable breast masses

Thirty-eight female patients (age range: 31–79 years) with breast masses underwent technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (^99mTc-MIBI) breast scintigraphy in order to assess the value of this technique in the detection of breast carcinomas and in their differentiation from benign breast masses. The results showed that 27 of the 32 cases of breast carcinoma were detected by ^99mTc-MIBI breast scintigraphy. In contrast, none of the six benign lesions could be detected by this method. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 84%, 100% and 87%, respectively, in the differentiation of malignant and benign breast masses. In conclusion, we consider ^99mTc-MIBI breast scintigraphy is useful in distinguishing malignancies from benign breast masses. Correspondence to: C.H. Kao