Clinical outcome of magnetic resonance imaging-detected additional lesions in breast cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcome of additional breast lesions identified with breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in breast cancer patients.


METHODS
A total of 153 patients who underwent breast MRI between July 2006 and March 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Thirty-three patients (21.6&) were recommended for second-look ultrasound (US) for further characterization of additional lesions detected on breast MRI and these patients constituted our study population.


RESULTS
ASSESSMENT FOR LESIONS DETECTED ON BREAST MRI CONSISTED OF THE FOLLOWING: 25 benign lesions (73.5&), two indeterminate (5.9%), and seven malignant (20.6%) in 33 patients. Second-look US identified 12 additional lesions in 34 lesions (35.3%) and these lesions were confirmed by histological examination. Of the 12 lesions found in the 11 patients, six (50.0%) including one contralateral breast cancer were malignant. The surgical plan was altered in 18.2% (six of 33) of the patients. The use of breast MRI justified a change in treatment for four patients (66.7%) and caused two patients (33.3&) to undergo unwarranted additional surgical procedures.


CONCLUSIONS
Breast MRI identified additional multifocal or contralateral cancer which was not detected initially on conventional imaging in breast cancer patients. Breast MRI has become an indispensable modality in conjunction with conventional modalities for preoperative evaluation of patients with operable breast cancer.
Department of Surgery and Institute for Medical Sciences, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.
Gi-Won
GW
Ha
Mi Suk
MS
Yi
Byoung Kil
BK
Lee
Hyun Jo
HJ
Youn
Sung Hoo
SH
Jung