Role of ultrasonography in detecting mammographically occult breast carcinoma in women with dense breasts

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of routine ultrasonography in women with negative mammography and dense breasts [Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS D3-4)]. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We applied a protocol involving routine ultrasonography in a consecutive series of subjects with negative mammography and dense breasts. After evaluation by internal and external reviewers of cancers detected by ultrasonography performed to confirm negative mammography, we determined the additional cancer detection rate of ultrasonography and the cost of the protocol. RESULTS: Out of 17,883 total mammographies, 167 cancers were diagnosed (detection rate: 0.93%). Out of 257 suspicious mammographies, 138 cancers were detected. Out of 17,626 negative mammographies, 6,449 (36.5%) were classified as "dense breast" and underwent ultrasonography: 29 cancers were detected (detection rate: 0.44%, or 17.3% of total cancers). Out of 25 cancer cases reviewed, negative mammography and asymptomatic status was confirmed in 15 (detection rate 0.23%, or 8.9% of total cancers). The cancer detection rate was 0.11%, 0.22%, 0.32% and 0.14% for age groups <40, 40-49, 50-59 and >59, respectively. The cost per additional carcinoma detected by ultrasonography alone was euro 25,847.85 whereas that per examined woman was euro 21.68. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms the possibility that ultrasonography can detect mammographically occult breast carcinoma in dense breasts. The evidence is insufficient to recommend this policy in routine screening practice but suggests that, at least in current clinical practice, adding ultrasonography in dense breasts may be useful despite the substantial costs.     

Improved breast cancer detection in asymptomatic women using 3D-automated breast ultrasound in mammographically dense breasts

Automated breast ultrasound (ABUS)was performed in 3418 asymptomatic women with mammographically dense breasts. The addition of ABUS to mammography in women with greater than 50% breast density resulted in the detection of 12.3 per 1,000 breast cancers, compared to 4.6 per 1,000 by mammography alone. The mean tumor size was 14.3 mm and overall attributable risk of breast cancer was 19.92 (95% confidence level, 16.75 - 23.61) in our screened population. These preliminary results may justify the cost-benefit of implementing the judicious us of ABUS in conjunction with mammography in the dense breast screening population.     

Supplemental screening sonography in dense breasts

In single-center trials across 42,838 examinations, 150 (0.35%) cancers were identified only sonographically in average-risk women. Over 90% of the 126 women with sonographically depicted cancers had dense or heterogeneously dense parenchyma. Of the 150 cancers, 141 (94%) were invasive, with a mean size of 9 to 11 mm across the series. Over 90% were node-negative. A3-year multicenter trial of screening sonography in high-risk women, blinded to the results of mammography, opened for enrollment April 2004,funded by the Avon Foundation and National Cancer Institute through the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN Protocol 6666). If the trial is successful,the results will provide a rational basis for supplemental screening sonography in women with dense breasts.     

Improved image quality for dense breasts in mammography.

Within the UK breast scanning age range of 50-65 years, about 15% of breasts show a dense structure that is underexposed in conventional mammography. This gives rise to a severe reduction in contrast. Methods of improving this contrast by variation of exposure factors are explored, using a Dupont phantom that has a simulated dense breast structure. Results are assessed by considering measured contrast from a Perspex stepwedge, and by obtaining relative scores, on a scale of 1-10, from 15 radiologists involved in mammography. It is concluded from both these methods that approximately doubling the mAs at the normal kV is preferable to increasing the kV by more than a small amount. A modified mammographic technique on these lines could be valuable in selected cases where a previous conventional mammogram was available, i.e. assessment stage or repeat screening in a screening programme, or symptomatic patients. Practical problems in choosing exposure factors and the magnitude and implications of the increased dose are discussed.     

Using sonography to screen women with mammographically dense breasts

OBJECTIVE: Mammographically dense breast tissue has been reported both as a cause of false-negative findings on mammography and as an indicator of increased breast cancer risk. We conducted this study to evaluate the role of breast sonography as a second-line screening test in women with mammographically dense breast tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2000 and January 2002, 1517 asymptomatic women with dense breasts and normal mammography and physical examination findings underwent physician-performed breast sonography as an adjunct screening test. Within the study group, 318 women had a first-degree family history or personal history of breast cancer. The high-risk subgroup comprised these women. The detection rate of breast cancer in this subgroup was compared with the detection rate in the remaining study population with baseline risk. RESULTS: Of 1517 women examined, seven breast cancers were diagnosed (cancer-detection rate, 0.46%). Four carcinomas were detected in high-risk women and three in women with baseline risk. The cancer-detection rate in the subgroup of high-risk women was 1.3%, significantly higher (p < 0.04) than the cancer-detection rate of 0.25% in the baseline risk subgroup. All cancers were T1 (range, 4-12 mm; mean, 9.6 mm). Sentinel lymph nodes were negative for cancer in six of seven carcinomas. CONCLUSION: Screening breast sonography in the population of women with dense breast tissue is useful in detecting small breast cancers that are not detected on mammography or clinical breast examination. The use of sonography as an adjunct to screening mammography in women with increased risk of breast cancer and dense breasts may be especially beneficial.     

Diagnostic accuracy of lightscanning and mammography in women with dense breasts.

The diagnostic accuracy of lightscanning and mammography in 610 breasts with mammographically dense parenchymal patterns was investigated. Lightscanning identified 31 out of 36 cancers and mammography 32. Lightscanning and mammography were in agreement in 28 cases of cancer. One noninvasive lobular carcinoma was not identified by either modality. Four cancers were not correctly identified with lightscanning alone and 3 cancers with mammography alone. Of the 574 breasts without cancer, lightscanning falsely denoted 101 (18%) as possibly being cancerous (false-positives). The corresponding figure for mammography was 25 (4%). Thus, lightscanning, as performed in this study, has the same sensitivity as mammography in detecting cancer in mammographically dense breasts. However, its usefulness is limited by a low predictive value of a positive test (high rate of false-positives).     

多模态MRI对致密型乳腺中乳腺癌的诊断价值

目的：探讨多模态 MRI 上致密型乳腺中乳腺癌的影像学特征。方法收集行乳腺 X 线及 MRI 检查的120例乳腺癌病例,均为单病灶,且经手术病理证实,根据乳腺 X 线摄影 BI-RADS 分类的标准,将乳腺分成致密型(68例)和非致密型(52例)2组,对照研究2种乳腺类型中乳腺癌的 MRI 形态学特征、表观扩散系数(ADC)值(b=1000 s/mm2)、时间-信号强度曲线(TIC)间的差异。采用 SPSS16.0统计软件,P 值<0.05为差异有统计学意义。结果致密型与非致密型2组乳腺中病灶边缘毛刺分别为64.7%(44/68)、30.8%(16/52),其差异有统计学意义(P =0.000);2组乳腺癌直径分别为(1.83±0.98)cm、(1.40±0.46)cm,其差异有统计学意义(P =0.005);2组病灶呈非肿块样强化的分别为72.1%(49/68)、34.6%(18/52),其差异有统计学意义(P =0.000);2组病灶的ADC 值(b=1000 s/mm2)分别为(0.89±0.12)×10-3 mm2/s,(0.95±0.10)×10-3 mm2/s,其差异有统计学意义(P =0.016)。结论相对非致密型乳腺,致密型乳腺中的乳腺癌在多模态 MRI 表现上具有一定的特征。     

Automated breast ultrasound: Supplemental screening for average-risk women with dense breasts

ObjectiveWe review ultrasound (US) options for supplemental breast cancer screening of average risk women with dense breasts.ConclusionPerformance data of physician-performed handheld US (HHUS), technologist-performed HHUS, and automated breast ultrasound (AUS) indicate that all are appropriate for adjunctive screening. Volumetric 3D acquisitions, reduced operator dependence, protocol standardization, reliable comparison with previous studies, independence of performance and interpretation, and whole breast depiction on coronal view may favor selection of AUS. Important considerations are workflow adjustments for physicians and staff.     

X线致密型乳腺女性乳腺癌的专用双头伽玛显像筛查

目的比较专用双头伽玛显像与乳腺X线摄影在X线致密型乳腺女性乳腺筛查中的性能特点。材料与方法此项研究由学术委员会批准,符合HIPAA要求并获得知情     

Breast cancer detection using automated whole breast ultrasound and mammography in radiographically dense breasts

Purpose

Mammography, the standard method of breast cancer screening, misses many cancers, especially in dense-breasted women. We compared the performance and diagnostic yield of mammography alone versus an automated whole breast ultrasound (AWBU) plus mammography in women with dense breasts and/or at elevated risk of breast cancer.

Methods

AWBU screening was tested in 4,419 women having routine mammography (Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00649337). Cancers occurring during the study and subsequent 1-year follow-up were evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of biopsy recommendation for mammography alone, AWBU and mammography with AWBU were calculated.

Results

Breast cancer detection doubled from 23 to 46 in 6,425 studies using AWBU with mammography, resulting in an increase in diagnostic yield from 3.6 per 1,000 with mammography alone to 7.2 per 1,000 by adding AWBU. PPV for biopsy based on mammography findings was 39.0% and for AWBU 38.4%. The number of detected invasive cancers 10 mm or less in size tripled from 7 to 21 when AWBU findings were added to mammography.

Conclusion

AWBU resulted in significant cancer detection improvement compared with mammography alone. Additional detection and the smaller size of invasive cancers may justify this technology’s expense for women with dense breasts and/or at high risk for breast cancer.     

Systematic mammographic screening for breast cancer in asymptomatic women]

It appears that the mortality rate from breast cancer decreases in 50-year-old (and over) women submitted to mammographic screening. Since 1980, the Unit of Cancer Prevention of the UCL is proposing mammographic screening to women with normal clinical examination but belonging to a "high-risk" group. Among the 5651 mammographies which were performed on 2924 women, 24 biopsies have been proposed and 16 cases of cancer have been diagnosed. 5.5% breast cancers have been detected. This result is consistent with the average figures reported in the screening programmes abroad. Questions about the age at which cancer screening should start and about the number of views that should be taken are also discussed.     

Diagnostic performance of dual-energy contrast-enhanced subtracted mammography in dense breasts compared to mammography alone: interobserver blind-reading analysis

Purpose

To analyse the accuracy of dual-energy contrast-enhanced spectral mammography in dense breasts in comparison with contrast-enhanced subtracted mammography (CESM) and conventional mammography (Mx).

Materials and methods

CESM cases of dense breasts with histological proof were evaluated in the present study. Four radiologists with varying experience in mammography interpretation blindly read Mx first, followed by CESM. The diagnostic profiles, consistency and learning curve were analysed statistically.

Results

One hundred lesions (28 benign and 72 breast malignancies) in 89 females were analysed. Use of CESM improved the cancer diagnosis by 21.2 % in sensitivity (71.5 % to 92.7 %), by 16.1 % in specificity (51.8 % to 67.9 %) and by 19.8 % in accuracy (65.9 % to 85.8 %) compared with Mx. The interobserver diagnostic consistency was markedly higher using CESM than using Mx alone (0.6235 vs. 0.3869 using the kappa ratio). The probability of a correct prediction was elevated from 80 % to 90 % after 75 consecutive case readings.

Conclusion

CESM provided additional information with consistent improvement of the cancer diagnosis in dense breasts compared to Mx alone. The prediction of the diagnosis could be improved by the interpretation of a significant number of cases in the presence of 6 % benign contrast enhancement in this study.

Key Points

? DE-CESM improves the cancer diagnosis in dense breasts compared with mammography. ? DE-CESM shows greater consistency than mammography alone by interobserver blind reading. ? Diagnostic improvement of DE-CESM is independent of the mammographic reading experience.     

乳腺X线摄影呈致密型乳腺的病人的超声筛查:美国康乃狄克州公法09-41的初步经验

摘要目的明确乳腺超声对致密型乳腺女性筛查的性能及应用价值。这些女性在美国康乃狄克州公法09-41实行的第1年行乳腺超声筛查,该公法要求放射科医师对乳腺X线摄影显示不均匀或极致密型乳腺的病人进行告知,