Preoperative breast MRI for locoregional staging. The Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association [J Okla State Med Assoc] Journal article

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast is indicated in multiple settings, one of which is preoperative staging to establish tumor extent, multicentricity, and contralateral disease.
METHODOLOGY: Results of conventional imaging, breast MRI, and pathology were analyzed from 334 patients who underwent breast MRI subsequent to a biopsy that confirmed primary breast malignancy. The focus of this retrospective study was imaging-histologic correlation.
FINDINGS: Only 1.2% of patients with tumors mapped by MRI required re-operation after lumpectomy. Multicentricity was identified by MRI alone in 7.7% of patients, while 3.6% were found to have occult contralateral cancer. In 11 of the 12 patients with contralateral cancer, the lesion was invasive, with ductal histology in 9 of the 11. The sensitivity of mammography for detecting these contralateral cancers was only 22.2%.
CONCLUSION: Preoperative breast MRI is recommended for mapping tumor extent and to discover additional primary lesions in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

The Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association [J Okla State Med Assoc]