Follow-up of probably benign lesions in non-screening breast diagnostics.
OBJECTIVE
Our study addresses at the benefit of surveillance of probably benign lesions, detected outside mammographic screening, during a 3-year period.


METHODS
28,588 women (mean age 57 ± 12 years) were examined. Two independent radiologists read the mammogram as well as the supplemented ultrasound (in case of breast density ACR type 3 and 4). In the case of discordance a third expert considered whether further examination was indicated or not.


RESULTS
3,266 diagnostic procedures ended with BI-RADS 3 result and 2,512 (76.9 %) women underwent a follow-up examination. 295 (11.7 %) of them received assessment examination (imaging and/or biopsy) and 37 (12.5 %) (none of them palpable) ended with BI-RADS 6. This equals a tumor detection rate of 14.7/1,000. The ratio in situ:invasive was 7:10 (1:1.43) and the mean size was 11.1 ± 4.51 mm. In the total cohort, 536 carcinomas ended with BI-RADS 6 of them 17 % were in situ and 83 % were invasive breast cancers (ratio in situ:invasive 1:4.99), mean size was 13.8 ± 6.3 mm. The cancer detection ratio in these cases was 18.7/1,000.


CONCLUSIONS
The amount of detected tumors at follow-up of women with preceding BI-RADS 3 equates the associated potential of malignancy.
Clinic for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160 (Haus 40), 23538, Lübeck, Germany.
Smaragda
S
Kapsimalakou
Annika
A
Waldmann
Alexander
A
Katalinic
Isabell
I
Grande-Nagel
Dorothea
D
Fischer
Joerg
J
Barkhausen
Florian M
FM
Vogt
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D010173:Palpation; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary; D055815:Young Adult