Utility of Ultrasound Imaging Features in Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 4; p. e37691
• Main Authors: Alshoabi, Sultan A, Alareqi, Amal A, Alhazmi, Fahad H, Qurashi, Abdulaziz A, Omer, Awatif M, Hamid, Abdullgabbar M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 17-04-2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Accuracy; Acoustics; Biopsy; Breast cancer; Calcification; Confidence intervals; Family/General Practice; Females; Histopathology; Lymphatic system; Mammography; Medical diagnosis; Oncology; Radiology; Ultrasonic imaging; United States > US; specificity of ultrasound imaging features; hypo-echogenicity of the mass; tissue distortion; spiculated margins of the mass; breast cancer; irregular shape of the mass; lymphadenopathy
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.37691

Background Currently, breast cancer (BC) is considered one of the most prevalent cancer worldwide in women and represents a global health challenge. Early diagnosis is the keystone in the management of BC patients. This study aims to assess the utility of ultrasonography (US) features of malignancy in the diagnosis of BC. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study involved the electronic records of 326 female patients who were diagnosed with BC. A cross-tabulation test was performed to identify the association between the presence of each US feature (yes/no), and the final US diagnosis (benign/malignant). The strength of association of each feature was measured using the odds ratio (OR) which was assumed to be significant when > 1, with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The mean age of the female patients involved in this study was 45.36 ±12.16 years old (range, 17-90 years). Cross-tabulation test showed a significant association between the malignancy tumor and the irregular shape of the lesion (p < 0.001, OR=7.162, CI 2.726-18.814), non-circumscribed margins (p < 0.001, OR = 9.031, CI 3.200-25.489), tissue distortion (p < 0.001, OR = 18.095, CI 5.944-55.091), and the lymph node enlargement (p < 0.001, OR = 5.705, CI 2.332-13.960). Conclusion US imaging features of malignancy have a high sensitivity and positive predictive value for detection of the BC. However, the specificity of breast US imaging features is much lower because of the overlapping features in benign and malignant breast lesions. Breast lesions with an irregular shape, not circumscribed irregular or spiculated margins, hypo-echogenicity, tissue distortion, and those with lymphadenopathy have the highest likelihood of malignancy despite the low specificity. US is a highly valuable, safe, and affordable imaging modality with high diagnostic accuracy for BC.