Evaluation of automated breast volume scanner for breast conservation surgery in ductal carcinoma in situ

The present is a retrospective study examining the use of automated breast volume scanner (ABVS) for guiding breast conservation surgery in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). A total of 142 patients with pathologically confirmed DCIS were initially included in the study. The patients underwent preoperative examination by conventional ultrasound and by ABVS. The BI-RADS category system was used to identify benign and malignant lesions, after which breast conservation surgery was performed, and the therapeutic effects were compared. DCIS lesions were found in each quadrant of the breasts. Typical symptoms included: Duct ectasia and filling in 23 cases, mass (mainly solid, occasionally cystic, with or without calcification) in 38 cases, hypoechoic area (with or without calcification) in 33 cases, calcifications (simple) in 23 cases, and architectural distortion in 17 cases. In addition, 110 cases (82.1%) were detected as grade ≥4 according to the BI-RADS category, and 92 cases (68.7%) were considered malignant lesions following conventional ultrasound scanning. The detection rate of ABVS was significantly higher than that of conventional ultrasound (χ2=268.000, P<0.001). The average tumor diameter was 2.5±0.8 cm using ABVS and 2.0±0.9 cm using conventional ultrasound (the former being significantly higher than the latter; t=6.325, P=0.034). Eight patients (5.6%) had recurrences of the cancer, and the tumor diameter in the 8 patients was significantly larger using ABVS as compared to conventional ultrasound. In the diagnosis of DCIS, ABVS was superior to conventional ultrasound scanner in guiding breast conservation surgery and predicting recurrence. However, large-scale studies are required for confirmation of the findings.