title: MRI evaluation of the contralateral breast in patients with recently diagnosed breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Contralateral breast cancer can be synchronous and/or metachronous in patients with cancer of one breast. Detection of a synchronous breast cancer may affect patient management. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the breast (DCE-MRI) is a sensitive technique for detecting contralateral lesions occult on the other imaging modalities in women already diagnosed with cancer of one breast.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to assess the incidence of mammographically occult synchronous contralateral breast cancer in patients undergoing MRI mammography for the evaluation of a malignant breast lesion.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 294 patients with recently diagnosed breast cancer who underwent MRI of the breast were evaluated for lesions in the opposite breast.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of synchronous contralateral malignancy detected by preoperative MRI mammography done for evaluation of extent of disease was 4.1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative breast MRI may detect clinically and mammographically occult synchronous contralateral cancer, and can help the patient avoid an additional second surgery or a second course of chemotherapy later; also, as theoretically these lesions are smaller, there may be a survival benefit as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of MRI, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sangeeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taneja
authors.forename: Amarnath
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jena
authors.forename: Syed Mohd Shuaib
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.forename: Anuj
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khurana