Breast MR more effective in identifying DCIS than BSGI

MRI has higher sensitivity for detecting ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and is more helpful than breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) in cases with no calcification on mammography, according to this Tuesday morning study conducted by Korean researchers.

For the study, Dr. Eun Suk Cha, of Ewha Womans University, and colleagues included 35 women diagnosed with DCIS between June 2009 and December 2011. The women had both breast MRI and BSGI exams, and each study was read by a separate breast radiologist. Cha's group tracked whether patients had undergone vacuum-assisted breast biopsy or core biopsy before MRI, the presence or absence of calcification on mammography, and the sensitivity of each modality.

Twenty women were diagnosed by core biopsy and 15 by vacuum-assisted biopsy. The sensitivity of MRI and BSGI in the 20 core biopsy patients was 95% and 90%, respectively. Nineteen women had calcifications on mammography and 16 did not. Of the 19 patients with calcification on mammography, MRI found 94.7% and BSGI found 73.7%; of the 16 with no calcification on mammography, MRI found 87.5% and BSGI found 37.5%.

Breast MR identifies DCIS better than BSGI and is recommended for surgical planning, Cha's group concluded.