Is semiannual mammo after breast conserving surgery necessary?

Annual mammography with a clinical exam -- rather than semiannual -- is “likely sufficient” for women who have undergone breast-conserving surgery and were treated with neoadjuvant therapy, a study published March 2 in Surgical Oncology Insight has found. Researchers led by Ton Wang, MD, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found insufficient evidence supporting the use of semiannual mammography in these women, with less than 2% of women developing locoregional recurrence on routine surveillance. “Semiannual mammography is associated with unnecessary benign biopsies, which may increase health care costs and patient distress,” Wang and co-authors added. While women who have had breast-conserving surgery for invasive breast cancer are recommended for annual mammography, surveillance guidelines for women treated with surgery following neoadjuvant therapy have not been established. The researchers noted conflicting data on the risk of locoregional recurrence following breast-conserving surgery in women treated with neoadjuvant therapy. This raises questions on whether more frequent mammographic surveillance is effective. A 2018 survey of radiologists in American College of Radiology (ACR)-accredited mammography facilities found that 73% of facilities performed diagnostic mammographic evaluation every six months for a variable time prior to returning to routine screening mammography. Wang and colleagues also pointed out that more intensive surveillance may ...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties Womens Imaging Breast Imaging Source Type: news