Dear Women's Imaging Insider,
Nipple discharge often stems from a benign condition, but breast cancer is a possibility, and MRI is developing a growing role in these cases.
Researchers from Bordeaux, France, say there's a strong need for additional data about the use of breast MRI in this indication. They evaluated the accuracy of breast MRI in identifying lesions requiring excision for patients who had experienced suspicious nipple discharge but had normal mammograms and ultrasound scans. Their results, analysis, and clinical images deserve a close look.
Biomarkers, in combination with liquid biopsy and pathology, can help to optimize cancer detection and characterization, and they form a vital part of a diagnostic approach that aims to integrate diverse data from imaging, pathology, and liquid biopsy/laboratory medicine. Combining liquid biopsy and imaging can improve future surveillance by detecting subclinical disease earlier, experts say. Italian researchers have presented important new findings in this area.
What do patients think about the use of artificial intelligence? A Scottish group addressed this question in a survey of more than 150 participants in breast screening. You can read about their results, presented at ECR 2021, in our news report.
FDG-PET/CT scans are a valuable tool for staging women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, according to new research. The authors found a significant correlation between FDG uptake and breast tumor size and grade.
Finally, a long-awaited Swedish breast study on interval cancers was published earlier this month. The team said a decrease in interval cancer rates when digital breast tomosynthesis is used may be attributed to improved detection of rapidly growing cancers with poorer prognosis, possibly contributing to lower breast cancer mortality.
This letter features only a few of the many reports posted recently in the Women's Imaging Community. Please scroll through the full list below, and feel free to contact me if you have ideas for future coverage.
