Contrast-enhanced MR imaging in patients with BI-RADS 3-5 microcalcifications

Abstract

Mammography and stereotactic biopsy still remain the only techniques for characterising microcalcifications. MRI cannot be considered a diagnostic tool for evaluating microcalcifications. It is, however, useful for identifying DCIS with more aggressive histological grades. An important application of MRI in patients with DCIS associated with suspicious microcalcifications could be to evaluate disease extension after a microhistological diagnosis of malignancy, as it allows a more accurate presurgical planning.

Which factors influence MRI-pathology concordance of tumour size measurements in breast cancer?

“…Published results assessing MRI-pathology concordance ranged from an underestimation rate of 0 -59 % to an overestimation rate of 7 -70 % [3,18,23,24]. Limits within which measurements on MRI are considered concordant with measurements at pathology vary and range from 0 mm -20 mm [11,[24][25][26][27].…”

Multicentric Cancer Detected at Breast MR Imaging and Not at Mammography: Important or Not?

“…B reast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the most sensitive technique for depicting breast cancer, with widespread applications in screening of high-risk patients and preoperative planning (1-3). In younger women and those with dense breasts, MR imaging depicts additional disease that is occult at mammography and ultrasonography (US), both in the same and contralateral breast, and is considered more accurate for evaluating the extent of tumor (4,5). The reported incidence of additional MR imaging-detected disease in the ipsilateral breast is 3%-34%, and it is 3%-24% in the contralateral breast (6,7).…”

MRI in the differential diagnosis of primary architectural distortion detected by mammography

“…The specificity of DCE-MRI for detecting breast cancer is controversial, ranging from 21% to 100%. A previous study by Cilotti et al (26) showed no statistically significant difference between the specificities of mammography and MRI for the diagnosis of calcified lesions. In our study, the specificity of DCE-MRI alone was higher than that of FFDM alone.…”