Dr. Jean Weigert, from the Hospital of Central Connecticut, and colleagues evaluated 731 patients who had undergone all three modalities as part of their diagnostic workup. In these 731 women, 180 malignancies were found and confirmed by pathology. Mammography alone found 130 malignancies, for a sensitivity rate of 72%. Ultrasound alone found 114, for a sensitivity rate of 63%, and BSGI alone found 147, for a rate of 82%.
When mammography and ultrasound were used together, sensitivity increased to 90% (163 out of 180 cancers). Adding BSGI boosted the sensitivity even further to 98% (177 of 180 cancers).
Of the three imaging modes, BSGI alone showed the highest sensitivity, and when added to the diagnostic workup, it identified an additional 14 cancers not identified by mammography in combination with ultrasound, Weigert's team concluded.
