Valeria Dominelli MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Federica Pediconi MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Maria Laura Luciani MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Valeria Casali, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Carlo Catalano MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Roberto Passariello MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To evaluate the benefit of preoperative MRI for patients with breast cancer in terms of local recurrence rates after the surgical treatment of the primary carcinoma.

We retrospectively evaluated 49 patients with histologically-proven local breast cancer recurrence detected between 7 and 47 months after initial surgical treatment of the primary carcinoma. Initial surgical treatment in all cases removed the entire tumor with margins free of disease. All patients underwent similar systemic treatment after breast surgery and all patients underwent follow-up breast MRI to evaluate the extent of the relapse. The patients were differentiated into two groups: group A comprising 10/49 patients who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced breast MRI before surgery and group B which comprised 39/49 patients that did not have a breast MRI examination before surgery. The chi-square test was used for statistical evaluation.

Surgical treatment for the primary carcinoma was mastectomy in 14 patients (6 in group A, 8 in group B), quadrantectomy in 30 patients (3 in group A, 27 in group B), and lumpectomy in 5 patients (1 in group A, 4 in group B). There were 28 (57%) cases of recurrence in the same breast after breast conserving surgery (4/10 [40%] in group A vs 24/39 [61%] in group B), 5 (10%) cases of local recurrence after mastectomy (4/10 [40%] in group A vs 1/39 [3%] in group B) and 16 (33%) cases of contralateral disease (2/10 [20%] in group A vs 14/39 [36%] in group B). Metachronous contralateral carcinoma and local recurrence in the ipsilateral breast were significantly (p<0.001) more frequent in patients without preoperative local MR staging (88% and 85% respectively) compared to those with breast carcinoma who underwent MRI before primary therapy (12% and 14%, respectively).

Preoperative local MR staging allows a significant reduction of ipsilateral recurrences and contralateral cancer at follow-up. Breast MRI can be recommended in patients with histologically proven breast cancer for better evaluation of the extent of disease.

Preoperative breast MRI is a reliable technique for the staging of breast carcinoma and it allows reduction of local recurrence rates.

Dominelli, V, Pediconi, F, Luciani, M, Casali, V, Catalano, C, Passariello, R, Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Breast: Does It Affect Local Recurrence Rate?.  Radiological Society of North America 2009 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 29 - December 4, 2009 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2009/8006333.html