More precision about the extent of disease when breast cancer is diagnosed can help patients and their physicians choose the best treatment, according to surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Dallas. More precision about the extent of disease when breast cancer is diagnosed can help patients and their physicians choose the best treatment, according to surgeons on the medical staff at Baylor Dallas. The team[1] reported in the July 2007 issue of BUMC Proceedings that adding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the workup changed the clinical management in 20 per cent of cases. MRI identified additional cancer cells in either the breast where the primary cancer was first found or in the other breast.

Since MRI of the breast has been shown to be sensitive in identifying the extent of the primary tumor and other foci of cancer, the group examined its clinical utility in the surgical management of breast cancer patients.

From January 2004 to April 2007, 117 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer underwent bilateral MRI prior to definitive surgical management. Additional lesions were found in 27 patients (23.1 per cent) in the ipsilateral breast and 19 patients (16.2 per cent) in the contralateral breast. Twelve patients (10.3 per cent) had more than one new lesion identified. Six patients (5.1 per cent) had a larger area of tumor than detected by mammography or ultrasound. Additional biopsies were performed in 27 patients (23.1 per cent). Additional foci of cancer were identified in 17 patients (14.5 per cent): 12 (10.2 per cent) in the ipsilateral breast and 5 (4.3 per cent) in the contralateral breast. This information changed the clinical management in 23 cases (19.7 per cent).

Further studies, say the researchers, are needed to confirm the benefits of MRI relative to its costs and to further identify the appropriate patients to undergo this imaging procedure.


[1] Tuoc N. Dao, MD, Jeffrey P. Lamont, MD, and Sally M. Knox, MD

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