HIGH-RESOLUTION MR IMAGING OF SUSPICIOUS BREAST LESIONS

乳腺癌在美国是一个重要的医疗保健问题

Breast cancer represents a significant health care issue in the United States. Screening with mammography and physical examination have resulted in a decreased mortality from breast cancer due to earlier detection. A major problem with these screening modalities is their nonspecificity. The 70-85% benign surgical breast biopsy rate subjects a large number of women to unnecessary surgery and places a significant financial burden on the health care system. The object of this proposal is to investigate the high resolution MR imaging characteristics of suspicious breast lesions. The interdisciplinary consists of three radiologists, a pathologist, and a breast surgeon. We plan to obtain high-resolution MR images of only the suspicious portion of the breast as identified by mammography or physical exam. Lesions will be characterized by morphologic, signal intensity, and enhancement patterns. The proposal also includes a detailed correlation between pathology and images of resected specimens. With the aid of statistical consultant we will assess the accuracy of high- resolution MR imaging to identify specific pathologic entities. We also plan to identify those patients in which high-resolution MR imaging may offer an alternative to surgical biopsy.