Preoperative MRI Detects Additional Breast Cancer Sites

MRI before surgery in women whose cancer was detected by ultrasound found additional cancers, according to a study published in Radiology.

Researchers from Korea performed a retrospective review of 374 women to determine additional cancer yield of MR imaging in women with breast cancer detected at screening US and to identify a subgroup of women who are likely to benefit from preoperative MR imaging.

The women, median age 48, were found to have breast cancer through screening US; 321 of the cancers were invasive. All of the women underwent preoperative breast MR imaging between 2007 and 2013.

The results showed that 21 of the 374 women (5.6%) were diagnosed with additional cancer. Index invasive lobular cancer (ILC) histologic type was significantly associated with additional cancer detected at MR imaging. Among the women who had index invasive cancer, premenopausal status and lobular histologic type were factors associated with additional cancer detected at MR imaging.

The researchers concluded that preoperative MR imaging could help detect additional sites of cancer, in particular in women with index ILC and those who are premenopausal.