Detection of Malignant lesion in Contralateral Breast in Newly Diagnosed Patients of Unilateral Carcinoma Breast on MRI

Abstract

Background: Women having unilateral breast cancer have added risk of contralateral breast cancer with an incidence of 1-5% synchronous cancer. There is also increased risk of metachronous cancer in contralateral breast . Female patients with bilateral breast cancer have grave prognosis in comparison to those with unilateral breast cancer. MRI breast is used to assess the multifocality and multicentricity of tumour.
Objective: To determine the diagnostic performance of MRI in detecting malignant lesion in contralateral breast in newly diagnosed patients of unilateral carcinoma breast.
Material and Methods: In this study total 150 newly diagnosed patients of unilateral breast cancer with normal mammographic and clinical examination of other breast were included. Study was conducted in Radiology department, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar from Jan 2017 to March 2020. MRI scan of normal breast was done on a 1.5 Tesla magnet with multi-channel breast coil. For evaluating the breast lesions, administration of IV contrast and high spatial resolution is necessary .The malignant lesions of breast found on MRI were confirmed histo-pathologically.
Results: In 5 out of total 150 women included in study, MRI detected occult breast cancer in the opposite breast in whom clinical examination and mammography was normal (3.3%). 18 women (12.5 %) out of total 150 with positive findings on MRI underwent biopsy, and 5 specimens turned out to be carcinoma (27%).
Conclusion: MRI is very useful and helpful to detect occult malignancy in opposite breast which are not detected clinically or by mammography at the time of the initial diagnosis of carcinoma breast.