Accuracy of axillary MR imaging in treated breast cancer for distinguishing between recurrent tumour and treatment effects: Does intravenous Gd-DTPA enhancement help in cases of diagnostic dilemma?

AIM: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of axillary magnetic reson ance imaging (MRI) in symptomatic patients, who had previously been treated for breast cancer, compared with clinical outcome after a minimum of 1 yea r. METHODS: One hundred and five patients underwent axillary MRI examinations and were diagnosed as axillary tumour, metastatic tumour, treatment effect or normal. RESULTS: At MRI, 48 patients had axillary tumour, 51 had metastatic tumour (37 had both), 27 had treatment effect and 22 were normal. At outcome (medi an follow-up, 484 days), 54 patients were positive for axillary tumour, 59 for metastatic disease (40 had both), 21 had treatment effect alone and 18 were clear. Magnetic resonance imaging showed 89% sensitivity, 100% specifi city and 91% accuracy for recurrent axillary tumour, and 85% sensitivity, 9 8% specificity and 90% accuracy for metastatic tumour. Soft tissue plaques were the commonest axillary disease pattern seen (37). Small volume soft ti ssue plaques gave the most diagnostic difficulty. Non-dynamic enhancement w ith intravenous Gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA) in a subset of 34 patie nts improved sensitivity for axillary tumour from 40 to 74%, and improved d iagnostic confidence in 11 patients (32%). Magnetic resonance imaging had a positive management impact leading to treatment alteration in 45 patients, 43 of whom had recurrent axillary and/or metastatic tumour. CONCLUSIONS: Tumour plaques were the commonest pattern of recurrent axillar y disease, Forty-eight percent of the patients had metastatic deposits iden tified by MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging had excellent specificity (100%) and good sensitivity (89%) for recurrent axillary tumour compared with outc ome at 1 year, which was improved by non-dynamic administration of Gd-DTPA in 32% of the subset who received it. Bradley, A. J. et al. (2000). Clinica l Radiology 55, 921-928. (C) 2000 The Royal College of Radiologists.