title: Breast-specific gamma imaging: correlations with mammographic and clinicopathologic characteristics of breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article is to evaluate the correlations between breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) findings and mammographic and clinicopathologic characteristics of breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study included 56 breast cancers that had undergone BSGI between August 2010 and December 2012. We reviewed imaging findings (BSGI and mammography) with histopathologic findings, including tumor size, histologic type, nuclear grade, presence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and presence of extensive intraductal component (EIC); and immunochemical features, including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ERBB2, formerly HER2), Ki67, and p53. We classified cancers into positive or negative groups on the basis of BSGI visibility and investigated the statistical differences in mammographic and histopathologic characteristics between the BSGI-positive and -negative groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 56 malignancies, 48 (85.7%) were shown to be BSGI positive. Patients in the BSGI-positive group were statistically significantly older than those in the BSGI-negative group (p = 0.027). BSGI-positive cancers were statistically significantly larger than BSGI-negative cancers (p = 0.002). Cancers 1.0 cm or larger, unlike those of subcentimeter size, were statistically significantly more visible on BSGI (p = 0.004). The mammographic findings and mammographic densities did not statistically significantly differ between the BSGI-positive and -negative groups. Invasiveness of cancer showed no statistically significant difference on BSGI finding. Cancers with a DCIS component tended to be BSGI positive, but without statistical significance (p = 0.051). Visibility on BSGI was not statistically significantly associated with EIC, nuclear grade, ER, PR, ERBB2, Ki67, and p53.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sensitivity of BSGI for breast cancer was 85.7%. Breast cancers in older patients, cancers larger than 1.0 cm, and cancers with the DCIS component tended to be visible on BSGI. BSGI was an equally sensitive tool to detect the breast cancer in women with fatty and dense breast.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seong Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Hee Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Mi Sung
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Heon Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Noh Hyuck
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Soon Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: breast cancer; breast-specific gamma imaging; clinicopathologic characteristics; mammography