Change in microcalcifications on mammography after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: correlation with tumor response grade and comparison with lesion extent
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان:
Change in microcalcifications on mammography after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: correlation with tumor response grade and comparison with lesion extent
Background After neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), persistent microcalcifications are often observed in spite of a decrease in the primary tumor size. Purpose To analyze the changes in microcalcifications after NAC and to evaluate the accuracy of residual microcalcifications in predicting the extent of residual cancer. Material and Methods Eighty patients who received NAC and underwent both mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after the completion of NAC were included. The location of microcalcifications was classified into two types: inside the mass and outside the mass. Results The extent of the residual calcifications was larger than the pathologic residual lesion in 14 (74%) of 19 patients with complete response (CR) on MRI, but the discrepancy was Conclusion The change in microcalcifications after NAC was correlated with the tumor response to NAC. The discrepancy was highest in the group showing CR on MRI with outside calcifications. In tumors with inside calcifications, the discrepancy was relatively low within an acceptable range.