• Chiara Del Frate, Ludovica Borghese, Carla Cedolini, Alexia Bestagno, Fabio Puglisi, Miriam Isola, Franca Soldano, and Massimo Bazzocchi.
• Institute of Radiology, University of Udine, P. le Santa Maria della Misericordia, 33100 Udine, Italy. iaiacdf@hotmail.com
• Breast. 2007 Oct 1;16(5):469-81.

AbstractThe purpose of the study was to assess the role of preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a complementary tool to routine imaging methods in the management of women affected by invasive breast carcinoma. Mammograms, sonograms and biopsy results of 121 breasts in 118 women affected by invasive breast carcinoma, who underwent pre-surgical breast MR, were re-examined to identify patients theoretically eligible for conservative surgery instead of radical mastectomy. Surgery effectively performed was evaluated to identify cases for which MRI determined a change in management. The gold standard was the final pathology. Breast MRI determined an overall change in management in 22 out of 121 breasts (18.2%), and in two out of 87 breasts (25.3%) in patients eligible for conservative surgery. In the evaluation of single breasts, MRI resulted in true-positive in 22 out of 29 breasts (75.9%), false-positive in 7 out of 29 breasts (24.1%), leading to over-treatment in women whose treatment was changed from conservative surgery to radical mastectomy. MRI sensitivity in the detection of additional foci not seen on conventional imaging was 57.4%, overall sensitivity 87.4%, sensitivity for invasive cancers 93.1%, while for ductal carcinoma in situ it was 58.8%. In conclusion, breast MRI determines a significant change in the management of patients affected by invasive breast carcinoma, particularly in patients eligible for conservative surgery after standard breast examination.

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