Abstract
ObjectiveTo assess the impact of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the locoregional staging of breast cancer.Materials and MethodsWe evaluated 61 patients with breast cancer who underwent pre-treatment breast MRI, between August 2015 and April 2016. An experienced breast surgeon determined the surgical treatment, on the basis of the findings of conventional imaging examinations, and made a subsequent treatment recommendation based on the MRI findings, then determining whether the MRI changed the approach, as well as whether it had a positive or negative impact on the treatment.ResultsThe mean age was 50.8 years (standard deviation, 12.0 years). The most common histological type was invasive breast carcinoma of no special type (in 68.9%), and the most common molecular subtype was luminal B (in 45.9%). Breast MRI modified the therapeutic management in 23.0% of the cases evaluated, having a positive impact in 82.7%.ConclusionBreast MRI is an useful tool for the locoregional staging of breast cancer, because it provides useful information that can have a positive impact on patient treatment.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women in Brazil
Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an useful tool for the locoregional staging of breast cancer, because it provides useful information that can have a positive impact on patient treatment
We evaluated 69 patients with breast neoplasms submitted to pretreatment MRI of the breast
Summary
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women in Brazil. In 2013, it achieved a world population age-adjusted mortality rate of 12.66/100,000 women, which justifies the growing efforts to improve diagnostic methods and treatment[1]. Breast-conserving surgery is currently the management practice of choice for early-stage breast cancer, because, when combined with radiation therapy, it has survival rates similar to those of mastectomy, provided there is appropriate patient selection. In this scenario, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast gains prominence because it has over 90% sensitivity and is superior to other conventional imaging methods in determining tumor size and identifying additional lesions[3,4]. MRI identifies additional ipsilateral foci in 12.0–31.2% of breast cancer patients and contralateral foci in 3–10%, leading to changes in treatment in up to one third of them[5,6,7]
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