title: Staging of suspected breast cancer: effect of MR imaging and MR-guided biopsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging on staging of breast cancer in patients with mammographically or clinically suspected tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred seventy-six patients underwent breast MR imaging at 1.5 T before excisional biopsy of a suspicious mammographic or palpable abnormality. Diagnostic imaging studies in patients with biopsy-proved or presumed breast carcinoma were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-four patients met the study criteria. MR imaging enabled detection of all 57 invasive breast cancers and nine of 15 in situ cancers. In 22 patients (34%), MR imaging depicted one or more cancers not visible at mammography, 13 (20%) of which were unsuspected multifocal or diffuse disease. As a result of the increased sensitivity of MR imaging compared with that of mammography, clinical staging and subsequent treatment were altered in seven patients (11%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MR imaging allows detection of mammographically and clinically occult foci of carcinoma in patients with suspected breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Orel
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Schnall
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hochman
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Solin
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Fowble
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Torosian
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Rosato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity