CHICAGO, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- A new ultrasound technique allows
radiologists to accurately distinguish benign from malignant breast
lesions. Using elasticity imaging, researchers correctly identified both
cancerous and harmless lesions in nearly all of the cases studied. The
findings were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological
Society of North America (RSNA).
"In our work, elasticity imaging has been found to have high
specificity," said Richard G. Barr, M.D., Ph.D., professor of radiology at
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and radiologist at
Southwoods X-Ray and MRI in Youngstown. "If our results can be reproduced
in a large, multicenter trial, this technique could significantly reduce
the number of breast biopsies required."
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that 212,920 women will be
diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year. Early
detection through screening is the best way to combat cancer at its early,
most treatable stage. While mammography is the standard breast cancer
screening exam, screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or
ultrasound may be more effective for high-risk patients or women with dense
breast tissue. MRI and ultrasound depict more breast lesions than
mammography but have low specificity, meaning they are less effective at
distinguishing benign from malignant lesions, resulting in a high number of
invasive biopsies. ACS reports that 80 percent of breast lesions biopsied
are found to be benign.
Elasticity imaging is a modification of a routine ultrasound exam. It
is like a manual self-exam but much more sensitive. The noninvasive
technique works by gauging how much tissue moves when pushed, and it can
detect how soft or stiff an object is.
"There are no needles," Dr. Barr explained. "The patient does not
notice any difference from a standard ultrasound."
Dr. Barr used a real-time, free-hand, elasticity imaging technique in
correlation with a routine ultrasound exam to study 166 lesions identified
and scheduled for biopsy in 99 patients. Lesions were measured for the
largest length on both the standard ultrasound image and the elasticity
image. Lesions where the elasticity image was smaller than the standard
image were characterized as benign, and lesions where the elasticity image
was larger were characterized as malignant. Ultrasound-guided biopsies were
performed on 80 patients with 123 lesions. Biopsy showed that elasticity
imaging correctly identified all 17 malignant lesions and 105 of 106 benign
lesions, for a sensitivity of 100 percent and a specificity of 99 percent.
"Our ability to find lesions in the breast has increased significantly
over the last 10 years but at the expense of an increased number of
biopsies," Dr. Barr said. "This technique could significantly reduce the
number of biopsies and increase the confidence of women that a detected
lesion is truly benign."
He anticipates that elasticity imaging will also help in detecting
cancers, but did not evaluate that capability for this study. Dr. Barr and
colleagues are planning to expand their research in an international,
multicenter trial beginning in January 2007.
AT A GLANCE
-- Breast ultrasound with elasticity imaging promises to be a highly
specific method for distinguishing benign from cancerous breast
lesions.
-- Elasticity imaging is noninvasive, analyzes tissue movement and can
determine the softness or stiffness of an object.
-- Elasticity imaging has the potential to greatly reduce the number of
breast biopsies performed in the United States.
RSNA is an association of more than 40,000 radiologists, radiation
oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to
promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering
research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is
based in Oak Brook, Ill.
SOURCE Radiological Society of North America
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.rsna.org
CONTACT:
RSNA Newsroom, +1-312-949-3233, or Before
11/25/06 or after 11/30/06, RSNA Media Relations,
+1-630-590-7762, or Maureen Morley of Radiological Society of
North America, +1-630-590-7754, or mmorley@rsna.org
|
