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Background: Inadequately treated multifocal and multicentric disease results in increased local recurrence following breast-conserving surgery. The accurate preoperative diagnosis of multifocal/ centric breast cancer would facilitate the planning of appropriate surgery and prevent reoperation for residual disease. While triple assessment remains the established diagnostic technique, its sensitivity for the diagnosis of multifocal disease remains poor. Dynamic contrast enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) of the breast represents an alternative emerging diagnostic modality that has been shown to be highly sensitive for the delineation of primary breast cancer. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the diagnostic accuracy of DCE-MRI of the breast with conventional triple assessment for the preoperative diagnosis of multifocal/centric breast cancer., Methods: Patients were recruited from the symptomatic breast clinics. All patients underwent standard triple assessment and DCE-MRI. The MRI scans were reported by a single radiologist blinded to the results of the triple assessment. Surgery was then planned accordingly to all available scan results and the specimens examined by a single pathologist. All patients who did not undergo surgery have been followed up for a minimum of 18 months., Results: A total of 334 women were recruited. There were 178 (52%) cancers that were histologically confirmed and multifocal/centric breast cancer was diagnosed provisionally by the preoperative investigations in 68 (38%); multifocal n = 33, multicentric n = 35, of these patients. In this group, subsequent histology confirmed multifocal/centric disease in 50 (73.5%): multifocal n = 15, multicentric n = 35. Unifocal cancer was found in 15 (22%) and benign disease in 3 (4.4%). The resultant sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values were 18%, 100%, 100%, and 76% for triple assessment and 100%, 86%, 73%, and 100% for DCE-MRI., Conclusion: DCE-MRI identified a subgroup of breast cancer patients with multifocal/centric disease not evident on standard triple assessment. MRI of the breast should be considered for the preoperative planning of surgery for primary breast cancer.

Background: Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast is highly sensitive for the diagnosis of primary breast malignancy. We investigated the clinical application of dedicated dynamic breast MR for routine screening for local recurrence following breast-conserving therapy., Methods: Patients underwent a single dynamic MR of the breast routinely in the period 1 to 2 years following treatment, or earlier if recurrence was suspected. A biopsy was performed if there was suspicion of recurrence on MR., Results: One hundred and five patients with a median age of 58 years (range 50 to 65 years) were recruited for the study. Sixteen biopsies were performed and nine recurrences were confirmed histologically. Patients not undergoing biopsy have been followed up for a median of 341 days (range 168 to 451 days) following the MR. The sensitivity for clinical examination, mammography, examination combined with mammography, and MRI alone for the detection of recurrent cancer were 89%, 67%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, and the specificity was 76%, 85%, 67%, and 93%., Conclusion: Combined clinical examination and mammography are as sensitive as dedicated dynamic MR of the breast for the detection of locoregional recurrence, but breast MRI is associated with a far greater specificity. Therefore, dedicated dynamic breast MRI should be used when there is clinical or mammographic suspicion of recurrence to confirm or refute its presence.