Contrast-Enhanced 1.5-T MR Imaging of the Breast: Association Between Asymmetric Increase of Whole Breast Vascularity and Ipsilateral Cancer on a Series of 384 Studies

Luca Alessandro Carbonaro¹, Nicola Verardi, Henrida Kule, Giovanni Di Leo, Francesco Sardanelli¹

We estimated the value of the breast vascular map asymmetry (BVMA) as a marker of ipsilateral tumors. Three-hundred-eighty-four patients underwent a dynamic study. We looked for BVMA. Pathologic examination or follow-up served as a reference standard. Pathology revealed 173 malignant lesions and 211 benign lesions. BVMA showed high diagnostic performance. Sensitivity was 76% for invasive cancers and 39% for in-situ cancers (P<0.001). Breast vascular map asymmetry was associated with ipsilateral cancer in 76% of invasive tumors, only in 39% of DCIS. For 20-mm tumors, a 90% association was found.