Sensitivity of MRI Versus Mammography for Detecting Foci of Multifocal, Multicentric Breast Cancer in Fatty and Dense Breasts Using the Whole-Breast Pathologic Examination as a Gold Standard

OBJECTIVE. Our aim was to compare the effectiveness of mammography and MRI in the detection of multifocal, multicentric breast cancer.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Ninety patients with planned mastectomies (nine bilateral) underwent mammography and dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MRI. Off-site reviewers aware of the entry criterion (planned mastectomy) evaluated both examinations for the presence of malignant foci, recording the density pattern on mammography. The gold standard was pathologic examination of the whole excised breast (slice thickness, 5 mm).RESULTS. Of 99 breasts, pathologic findings revealed 52 unifocal, 29 multifocal, and 18 multicentric cancers for a total of 188 malignant foci (158 invasive and 30 in situ). Overall sensitivity was 66% (124/188) for mammography and 81% (152/188) for MRI (p 0.05, not significant), respectively. Mammography and MRI missed 64 and 36 malignant f...