DETECTION OF BREAST CANCERS REPRESENTED AS ARCHITECTURAL DISTORTION: A COMPARISON OF FULL-FIELD DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS

Abstract

The aim: The aim of our study was to determine if digital breast tomosynthesis improves breast cancer detection associated with architectural distortion in comparison with full-field digital mammography in the absence of appropriate history of trauma or surgery. Materials and methods: The overall rate of breast cancer involvement for the 34 patients with architectural distortion was 15 cases (44,1%) (invasive breast cancers, n=12 (36,4%); ductal cancer in situ, n= 3 (8,8%)) other findings associated with architectural distortion were high-risk lesions and benign findings (radial scar, n=5 (14,7%); sclerosing adenosis, n=9 (26,5%); typical lobular hyperplasia, n=3 (8,8%); typical ductal hyperplasia, n=2 cases (5,9%)). Results: Overall of 17/34 (50.0%) architectural distortions were identified at digital breast tomosynthesis that were missed at full-field digital mammography what was statistically significant difference ([95% CI, 2.56–7.45]; p=0.00001). Analysis of the results showed that sensitivity of full-field digital mammography for digital breast tomosynthesis detected breast cancers associated with architectural distortion was 53.3% [95% CI, 26.59% to 78.73%] and specificity was 52.63% [95% CI, 28.86% to 75.55%]. Conclusions: Our study suggests that digital breast tomosynthesis detects more breast cancers represented as architectural distortion which are occult on full-field digital mammography. Presence of microcalcifications within architectural distortion, in the absence of appropriate history of trauma or surgery, has a high likelihood of malignancy and obligatorily requires biopsy.