What about the other breast? A review of a series of bilateral breast carcinomas

The BreastScreen Queensland Brisbane Southside BreastScreen Service reports on a study of 10 cases of bilateral boast carcinomas from a total cancer p opulation of 217 cases. All cases were patients of screening examinations t hat were recalled for a suspicious lesion in one breast. Two cases were mam mographically suspicious of bilateral tumours. In eight cases, tumours were ultrasonically visible in both breasts and in two further cases, the suspi cion of bilateral malignancy was raised by the presence of bilateral microc alcification. It is not the purpose of this paper to provide a statistical analysis of th e occurrence of bilateral breast cancer. This is a radiological paper from a breast screening service reporting on findings that conventional wisdom m ay find unusual. The incidence of bilateral breast malignancy in the study was found to be somewhat higher than expected. These cases have been diagno sed by the utilization of a particularly high standard of ultrasound and ma mmography, performed and interpreted by diagnosticians possessing an elevat ed level of suspicion of the possible presence of a second primary lesion. It is therefore proposed that an increased rate of diagnosis of bilateral t umours is possible with an evolution of assessment protocols, combined with quality ultrasound and mammography. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.