Chapters authored
Strain Elastography in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
Breast cancer remains the second cause of mortality in women, even if the mortality rates linked to it have drastically dropped at the present time. Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) accounts for 5–15% of the breast cancers and it is the second most encountered type among invasive carcinomas. There has been reported a high rate for bilateral lesions (6–47%), multifocality/multicentricity (21%), all affecting ILC overall survival. Due to its nonspecific symptoms and to the fact that it does not invoke a vigorous desmoplastic response and has a low likelihood of producing calcifications, the ILC tends to be insidious on mammography. Contrast enhanced MRI has the lowest false negative rate in detecting ILC and it is the most accurate method of determining the lesion extension, though it is expensive and not widely available. Therefore, the ultrasound (US) plays a significant role in the diagnosis of ILC. US elastography imaging (EI) individualizes malignant breast lesions with high sensitivity and specificity. Recent studies suggested that US elastography can even diagnose lobular cancers that have benign findings on conventional imaging. Goal: present various US aspects and exemplify the added diagnostic value of strain elastography—how it may change the BIRADS category and further therapeutic management?
Part of the book: Ultrasound Elastography