Breast ultrasound in a "moderate risk" population

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The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that screening for breast cancer with ultrasound, in a cohort of women at moderately increased risk of breast cancer, does not lead to an unacceptably high biopsy rate. One hundred and thirty-two asymptomatic patients with a family history of breast cancer that places them at a moderately increased lifetime risk of breast cancer were recruited. All had mammography and an experienced radiologist, blinded to the mammography report, then examined both breasts with ultrasound [US]. All focal solid lesions detected were recommended to core biopsy. All the mammograms were then read by a second radiologist blinded to the result of the ultrasound examination. During the study period, April 29, 1999 to March 29, 2000, 132 patients were examined with US (mean age 42.8 years). Eighty-one examinations showed normal breast tissue, 41 had at least one breast cyst and two patients had lesions that had previously been diagnosed as benign. None of the 132 mammograms were reported as abnormal. There were seven focal solid lesions that were recommended to biopsy on their US findings alone. Histology showed four to be fibroadenomas, two were areas of fibrocytic change with dense sclerosis and one was an adenoid cystic carcinoma. Screening for breast cancer with ultrasound, in a cohort of women at moderately increased risk of breast cancer does not lead to an unacceptably high biopsy rate.