Targeted breast ultrasound is the best way to evaluate focal breast signs and symptoms of disease in women younger than 30, according to a new study in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Researchers at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in Seattle gathered all ultrasound examinations performed for focal breast signs or symptoms in women younger than 30 from January 2002 through August 2006 (AJR, December 2010, Vol. 195:6). They confirmed outcomes with biopsy results or 24 months of ultrasound surveillance.
Lead author Wendy DeMartini, MD, and colleagues found that the overall incidence of breast malignancy was 0.4%, and the modality's negative predictive value was 100%. In addition, ultrasound's sensitivity in detecting breast cancer was 100%; therefore, there were no false-negative exams for which the addition of a mammography exam would have added diagnostic information, according to DeMartini.
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