Comparison study among breast specific gamma imaging and radiologic exams in the newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with operation

Objectives The purpose of our study was to compare of the sensitivity of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI), sonography, mammography and MRI for evaluating breast cancer lesion and axillary metastasis in the newly diagnosed breast cancer patient.

Methods From 510 women with BSGI, 89 breast cancer patients (46.4± 9.8 yr old) undergoing BSGI, sonography, mammography and MRI were enrolled. The imaging finding for BSGI and sonography were classified as positive and negative. Mammography and MRI was defined as malignant (class 4 to 6) and benign (class 1 to 3) according to BI-RADS. Surgical pathology was used as final result and sensitivity was compared among studies.

Results From 89 patients, 121 lesions underwent pathological confirmed, of which 94 lesions were invasive cancer, 20 lesions were DCIS, 7 lesions were mixed. Sensitivity of BSGI, sonography, mammography and MRI was 90.1%, 92.6%, 79.5% and 94.2%. Mammography had 9 cases of inconclusive result which were malignancy. BSGI discriminated 8 cases of them as malignancy. Though BSGI detected all of both lesions in 6 patients with bilateral breast cancer, sonography didn’t detect both sides from one case. The other radiologic exams also didn’t find right breast lesion at the same patient. In cases of axillary metastasis, sonography had better sensitivity (62.5%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (60.6%) than those other exams. BSGI and MRI had equivocal sensitivity (44.8% vs. 50.0%) and PPV (56.5% vs. 45.7%).

Conclusions We compared several imaging studies to evaluate of breast cancer lesion and axillary metastasis. BSGI and the other radiologic exams could be used as a complementary study to discriminating breast cancer