title: Pregnancy- and lactation-associated breast cancer: mammographic and sonographic findings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the mammographic and sonographic findings of pregnancy-associated breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 22 consecutive patients with breast cancer pathologically diagnosed during pregnancy (n = 10) or lactation (n = 12) were included in this study. The ages of the patients ranged from 26 to 49 years. Both mammography and sonography were performed on 12 patients; sonography only was performed on 7 patients; and mammography only was performed on 3 patients. Mammographic and sonographic findings were evaluated retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mammography revealed positive findings in 13 (86.7%) of 15 patients, even though all 15 patients had dense breasts. Mammographic findings included masses (n = 5), masses with calcifications (n = 2), calcifications with axillary lymphadenopathy (n = 2), a mass with axillary lymphadenopathy (n = 1), calcifications alone (n = 1), asymmetric density alone (n = 1), and diffuse skin and trabecular thickening alone (n = 1). Sonographic findings were positive and showed masses for all 19 patients (100%). The common sonographic findings of masses were irregular shapes (n = 15), irregular margins (n = 16), parallel orientation (n = 11), complex echo patterns (n = 14, including marked cystic [anechoic] components [n = 4]), and posterior acoustic enhancement (n = 12). Surrounding tissue effects could be seen in 5 patients, including ductal changes (n = 2), Cooper ligament thickening (n = 1), edema (n = 3), and skin thickening (n = 3). Calcifications within or outside a mass (n = 7) and axillary lymphadenopathy (n = 8) were also detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a mass could not be discernible by mammography because of increased radiodensity during pregnancy or lactation, calcification, asymmetric density, axillary lymphadenopathy, and skin and trabecular thickening were helpful for diagnosis of pregnancy-associated breast cancer. Sonographic findings of a solid mass with posterior acoustic enhancement and a marked cystic component were somewhat different from the appearance of breast cancer in nonpregnant women, possibly because of the physiologic changes of pregnancy and lactation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Bo Young
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Hak Hee
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Woo Kyung
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Etta D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.forename: Hyeon Sook
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Suk
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Jeung Sook
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki Keun
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Seog Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D044584:Carcinoma, Ductal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary