The incremental value of magnetic resonance imaging for breast surgery planning

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on preoperative or intraoperative surgical planning.

Methods

One hundred and sixty females with breast cancer were enrolled in the study. The contribution of MRI compared to MMG and USG, their histopathological concordance, and their impact on surgical treatment were evaluated prospectively.

Results

In 48 (30.0%) of the patients, MRI identified suspicious lesions that were not detected by MMG and USG. The diagnosis by MRI was accurate in 17 (10.6%) of them, while in remaining 31 patients (19.4%) the additional lesions found by MRI and interpreted as malignant were found not to be malignant. The pathological accordance of MRI and MMG compared with USG were 69.3 and 70.0%, respectively, whereas individually, MMG and USG were in accordance with the pathological examination in 52.9 and 67.9% of the cases, respectively.

Conclusions

Assessment of the tumor size, multifocality, multicentricity, and presence of ductal carcinoma in situ by MRI may lead to misinterpretations in the majority of patients. The surgical approach should not be changed based solely on MRI findings. An accurately interpreted MMG combined with USG may be sufficient in most cases.