The efficacy of added shear wave elastography (SWE) in breast screening for women with inconsistent mammography and conventional ultrasounds (US).

Abstract

To evaluate the efficacy of added shear wave elastography (SWE) in breast screening for women with results inconsistent between mammography and conventional ultrasounds (US). The study consisted of 282 pathologically proven breast lesions. The cancer probability from screening by mammography and conventional US were scored using Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). Elastography was used to re-evaluate inconsistent conventional US and mammography results. The diagnostic performance of conventional US, mammography, and Combined conventional clinical imaging and SWE was compared. The clinicopathological features of all breast cancer patients with inconsistent (and consistent) conventional US and mammography findings were compared. Finally, 147 lesions were confirmed benign and 135 were malignant. The AUC of Combined conventional clinical imaging plus elastography imaging (0.870) was significantly higher than mammography (0.735, p < 0.001) or conventional US (0.717, p < 0.001) alone. Among the 135 breast cancers, 79 of the conventional US and mammography findings were consistent and 56 were inconsistent. Younger age(<50y) (p = 0.035), non-invasive (p = 0.037), smaller size (p = 0.002) and negative lymph node status (p = 0.026) were significantly associated with inconsistent findings. The added SWE in breast screening when inconsistent results from mammography and conventional US occurred is necessary and effective.