The place of mammography following breast-conserving therapy of breast cancer

Abstract

This study evaluates the radiographical signs of the breast in 168 patients with breast carcinoma who were treated with lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Two thirds of the postsurgical scars were radiologically seen only up to two years after operation. One-third showed only discrete scarred tissue after this period. The most characteristic sign was the continuous diminution of the post-surgical and post-radiation lesions in the follow-up mammograms (scar densities, fibrosis and architectural distortions). Microcalcification highly suspicious of malignancy developed in 6%; one-third, however, proved to be benign. Acute and chronic edema were the most striking symptoms up to one year after radiotherapy; the final stage of the post-radiation alterations was breast fibrosis which demonstrated in 60% of the cases rather discretely. The recurrence rate was 7%.