Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging Effective For All Breast Densities

Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is highly sensitive for detecting breast cancer in women with either dense or nondense breasts, according to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Researchers from The George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., undertook a retrospective study of 341 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer from January 2004 to August 2009 and who had undergone BSGI before surgical excision.

Women with predominantly fatty replaced (BI-RADS density 1) or scattered fibroglandular tissue (BI-RADS density 2) breasts were classified as nondense, and those with heterogeneously dense (BI-RADS density 3) or extremely dense tissue (BIRADS density 4) were classified as dense.

The results showed that overall sensitivity of BSGI for breast cancer detection was 95.4 percent. Positive BSGI examinations were present in 136 of 142 nondense breast cancers and 195 of 205 dense breast cancers, for sensitivities of 95.8 percent and 95.1 percent, respectively. There was no significant difference in BSGI breast cancer detection and parenchymal breast density.

“BSGI has high sensitivities for the detection of breast cancer in women with dense and nondense breasts and is an effective adjunct imaging modality in women with both dense and nondense breasts,” the authors concluded.