Thursday, December 3 | 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | R6-SSBR11-4 | Room S406A
In this presentation, researchers will examine which factors affect cancer detection on technologist-performed handheld screening whole-breast ultrasound (WBUS).
Screening ultrasound is a supplemental option for women with dense breasts, but it is operator dependent, and some cancers missed on WBUS screening are easily seen at diagnostic workup.
Katie Jolin, MD, from the Yale School of Medicine will present the study, which included 32,116 digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) screenings, about 64% of which included same-day WBUS. The screenings took place between 2020 and 2023.
Cancers not detected on screening WBUS but found at subsequent diagnostic workup were compared with cancers successfully found. Three radiologists reviewed cancer size, subtype, laterality, quadrant, and surrounding tissue composition.
Among 141 cancers found in the total exams, 79 were detected by screening WBUS and 20 were initially missed. About 90% of cancers in both groups were invasive.
Detected cancers were larger than missed cancers (mean 13.6 mm vs. 9.1 mm). Detected cancers were split evenly between the right (49%) and left (51%) breasts, while 65% of missed cancers were in the left breast.
The researchers also found that the upper inner quadrant was the most common location for missed cancers (35%), compared with the upper outer quadrant for detected cancers (40%). Most detected cancers (88%) lay within fibroglandular tissue, while half of missed cancers (50%) were in fatty tissue (p < 0.01). Nearly half of missed cancers (45%) were in the far periphery of the breast, the team found.
The results point to cancers in the left breast, in peripheral or fatty areas, and in the upper inner quadrant more likely to be missed by handheld screening WBUS.
Find out more by attending this session
