Imaging surveillance suggested for radial scars found on DBT

Imaging surveillance may be the way to go for monitoring radial scars without atypia found on screening digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), research published March 13 in the American Journal of Roentgenology found. In a study, Claire Crowley and Manisha Bahl, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, found that screening-detected radial scars without atypia at core-needle biopsy have a low upstaging rate to breast cancer of less than 2%. “Our results, which show that surgical excision is not necessary for all patients with radial scars, could lead to a reduction in unnecessary surgery and could save patients from the morbidity and costs associated with surgery,” Bahl told AuntMinnie.com. Radial scars typically present as architectural distortions on digital mammography. However, the researchers noted that these findings are becoming increasingly prevalent on screening DBT. The recommended treatment option for radial scars is surgical excision due to “high and widely variable” reported surgical upstaging rates, the researchers explained. They also pointed out that universal guidelines for radial scar management in the current era of DBT are lacking. Crowley and Bahl determined upstaging rates of screening DBT-detected radial scars with and without atypia and identified features related to upstaging risk. The retrospective study included women who underwent core-needle biopsy showing a radial scar after screening DBT and digital mammography between 2013 a...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties Womens Imaging Breast Breast Imaging Source Type: news