Ultrasonic Diagnosis of Non-Mass Image-Forming Breast Cancer

Abstract

We investigated the characteristics of non-mass image-forming breast cancer and the relationship between non-mass image-forming breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We reviewed 47 non-mass image-forming breast cancers and 75 ultrasonic images of DCIS. We classified non-mass image-forming breast cancers into four subtypes: a homogeneous pattern, a ductal pattern, a mottled pattern, and a geographic pattern. The 47 cases were classified into 2, 6, 12, and 27 cases, respectively. Histological findings were 24 DCIS, 19 invasive ductal carcinomas with predominant intraductal components, and 4 invasive carcinomas. The 16 of 27 cases with a geographic pattern included invasive components. The 15 of 24 geographic cases had a comedo type of intraductal component. Of the 75 cases of DCIS, 51 cases were a mass image-forming type and 24 cases were a non-mass imageforming type. The histological findings for non-mass image-forming breast cancer tend to be DCIS and/or invasive ductal carcinoma with a predominant intraductal component. The geographic pattern often contained invasive components. The geographic pattern and/or the lesion with echogenic spots often had a comedo type. These results revealed the close relationship between the progress of breast cancer and ultrasonic imaging.