Ana P. Benveniste

Is breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) useful for diagnosis of additional sites of disease in patients recently diagnosed with pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)

PURPOSE To determine if breast MRI is useful for detecting additional or invasive sites of disease in patients initially diagnosed with pure DCIS. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective review of women diagnosed with pure DCIS who underwent a breast MRI for evaluation of extent of disease was performed at a single institution from January 2013 to April 2015. Data analysis included imaging (mammography, ultrasound and MRI) and pathology characteristics (histology and biomarker status) of the primary DCIS as well as descriptors for the additional sites of disease incidentally found by breast MRI. RESULTS A total of 108 patients were diagnosed with pure DCIS during this time period. A breast MRI for staging was recommended for all patients. 76 patients had an MRI performed, ages ranging from 38 to 79 years old (median, 53 years); sizes ranging from 0.3 to 10cm (mean, 2.2cm). A total of 52 patients (68%) either had suspicious new finding(s) (n=27, 36%) or bigger tumor size than originally visualized on mammography (n=43, 57%). A total of twenty-seven patients (36%) had other MRI findings suspicious for additional sites of disease in either breast (four in the ipsilateral breast and twenty-three in the contralateral breast). From this group of patients, twenty-three (85%) patients underwent MRI-guided biopsy as recommended. The four patients who did not have the recommended MRI guided-biopsy either underwent total mastectomies or refused the biopsy. Six out of the twenty-three patients (26%) were diagnosed with an additional site of cancer (5 DCIS and 1 IDC) (7.9%, CI=3.7%, 16.2%). All of the six patients had contralateral disease (100%) and none had a second site of disease in the ipsilateral breast. The size of the additional sites of disease ranged from 0.4 to 8cm (mean, 3.1cm) and the size of the primary lesion in this selected group ranged from 0.1 to 10.9cm (mean, 5.6cm). Ages ranged from 44 to 63 years old (median, 52.5 years). Five out 6 patients (83%) presented with the first site of disease as pure DCIS with estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors positive and one case (17%) was pure DCIS ER/PR- negative. The second incidental lesion found on MRI demonstrated 5 cases of contralateral pure DCIS and 1 case of contralateral invasive disease. From this group, we did not have the data for biomarker analysis for the second site of disease in 2 cases and 3 cases showed concordant biomarker status between the first and second sites of disease. The 1 case that presented with an invasive component in the contralateral side of the initially biopsy-proven pure DCIS had discordant biomarkers compared to the first site of disease: the first site of pure DCIS was ER/PR-negative and the second site of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) presented with ER/PR-positive status. CONCLUSION From a total of 76 patients with recent diagnosis of pure DCIS who underwent staging breast MRI examination for diagnosis of additional sites of disease, approximately 8% (95% confidence interval=3.7%, 16.2%) was diagnosed with an additional site of cancer and 1.3% (95% confidence interval=0.2%, 7%) of the total cases had invasive disease in the additional sites with different biomarker status; changing their management and prognosis.

Potential Application of Dual-Energy CT in Gynecologic Cancer: Initial Experience.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to review the use of dual-energy CT (DECT) in the assessment of gynecologic cancer. CONCLUSION DECT has the potential to improve diagnostic performance, may improve the ability to differentiate between simple cystic lesions and primary ovarian cancer, and may also improve the detection of musculoskeletal and liver metastases. Additional studies will be needed to determine the direction of future developments and the degree to which DECT will affect the imaging and management of gynecologic cancer.

Case Report: Metastatic Phyllodes Tumor

This report describes the clinical presentation, imaging findings, and treatment options of a case of metastatic malignant phyllodes.

Imaging of Radiation Treatment of Lung Cancer

Radiation therapy is an important modality in the treatment of patients with lung cancer. Recent advances in delivering radiotherapy were designed to improve loco-regional tumor control by focusing higher doses on the tumor. More sophisticated techniques in treatment planning include 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy, and proton therapy. These methods may result in nontraditional patterns of radiation injury and various radiologic appearances that can be mistaken for recurrence, infection and other lung diseases. Knowledge of radiological manifestations, awareness of new radiation delivery techniques and correlation with radiation treatment plans are essential in order to correctly interpret imaging in these patients.

Granulomatous Mastitis of the Breast: A Malicious Mimic:

Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is a rare and benign condition of the breast. The condition most commonly affects women of childbearing age and is commonly associated with pregnancy, breastfeeding, and oral contraceptive use. The symptoms and imaging characteristics of GM often mimic those of breast carcinomas. Imaging findings tend to be less pronounced by mammography, and GM can be mammographically occult, making sonography important in identifying the condition. Proper identification of this entity is important to prevent misdiagnosis and/or delayed treatment. The diagnosis is commonly made by tissue sampling under ultrasound guidance.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Diagnosis, Staging, Pitfalls and Follow-up

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most common primary neoplasm of the pleura. Imaging evaluation is essential in diagnosis, staging, and assessment of treatment response in malignant pleural mesothelioma. Computed tomography is the most commonly used modality for tumor staging. Assessment of tumor extension and lymph node involvement is essential in imaging evaluation as locally advanced tumors are amenable to resection. Knowledge of the full imaging spectrum of this rare disease, differential diagnosis, staging classification, and the current guidelines for diagnostic evaluation and follow-up are essential in accurate interpretation to optimize patient management.