Mammography and sonography findings can help physicians identify and treat breast cancer in men, according to a new study from the University of Texas M. D. Cancer Center in Houston.
The retrospective review of the preoperative imaging scans of 57 men with breast cancer revealed lesions most commonly present as a subareolar mass with an irregular shape and spiculated (spiky or pointy) margins, either with or without calcifications, on mammography and sonography.
Although male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers, and a large number of men are not imaged prior to treatment, almost all male breast cancer patients have a lump they can feel. Forty-seven percent of the men included in the study also had cancer that had spread to the axillary region.
The results suggest that mammography and sonography are essential for making a rapid as well as accurate diagnosis, according to the researchers. Sonography also plays a role in regional staging of lymph nodes.
The study appears in the December 2008 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Related Reading
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Men less likely to survive early breast cancer, May 10, 2007
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Male mammograms: Positioning tips to ensure image quality, August 18, 2005
Breast cancer on rise in men, study shows, May 25, 2004
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