Preoperative Breast MRI -- Is That Debate Over or Just Getting Started?

Background: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has been described as having a very high 5-year survival rate after treatment, which usually consists of surgery and possible adjuvant radiation treatment. A study from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas reported that 3.9% of patients treated for DCIS through conventional treatment ended up being diagnosed with invasive carcinoma within an average of 3 years post-diagnosis and treatment for DCIS. Notably, a significant percentage of these invasive carcinomas were diagnosed in the contralateral breast, not the breast where the original DCIS was diagnosed. Objective: To determine the rate of multicentric and contralateral carcinoma detected on preoperative breast MRI in patients diagnosed with DCIS. Design/Methods: A 7-year and 9-month retrospective period was chosen and a review was undertaken to identify all patients at a facility who had undergone preoperative breast MRI after the diagnosis of DCIS. Clinical follow-up was recorded from the more...