Evaluation of Contrast-Enhanced Mammography and Development of Flowchart for BI-RADS Classification of Breast Lesions

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) and to compare breast lesions on CEM and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using 5 features. We propose a flowchart for BI-RADS classification of breast lesions on CEM based on the Kaiser score (KS) flowchart for breast MRI. Sixty-eight subjects (women and men; median age 61.4 ± 11.6 years) who were suspected of having a malignant process in the breast based on digital mammography (MG) findings were included in the study. The patients underwent breast ultrasound (US), CEM, MRI and biopsy of the suspicious lesion. There were 47 patients with malignant lesions confirmed by biopsy and 21 patients with benign lesions, for each of which a KS was calculated. In the patients with malignant lesions, the MRI-derived KS was 9 (IQR 8–9); its CEM equivalent was 9 (IQR 8–9); and BI-RADS was 5 (IQR 4–5). In patients with benign lesions, MRI-derived KS was 3 (IQR 2–3); its CEM equivalent was 3 (IQR 1.7–5); and BI-RADS was 3 (IQR 0–4). There was no significant difference between the ROC-AUC of CEM and MRI (p = 0.749). In conclusion, there were no significant differences in KS results between CEM and breast MRI. The KS flowchart is useful for evaluating breast lesions on CEM.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• contrast-enhanced mammography
• magnetic resonance imaging