Ultrasonography of invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast - Sonographic patterns and diagnostic value - Report of 102 cases

The aim of this study was to define the ultrasonographic (US) features of t he invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). For this purpose, the clinical histori es and the mammographic and sonographic findings observed in 102 patients a ffected by documented ILC were retrospectively reviewed, and the role and v alue of US in the diagnosis of palpable and nonpalpable breast tumors were evaluated. At US, five proven tumors were not visualized (sensitivity: 95%) , while the remaining 97 showed sonographic images that are considered typi cally malignant: irregular heterogenic, hypoechoic irregular masses in 94 c ases, which were associated with posterior shadowing in 87. The presence of only a posterior shadowing was observed in three cases. There were 16 subc linical tumors, and in two of the four in which a mammography showed an ind eterminate lesion, US demonstrated a malignant pattern. All the palpable tu mors that were not detected mammographically were demonstrated by US. In 13 of the 102 patients (12.7%), the correct diagnosis of malignancy was estab lished by US. On the basis of the data obtained, it is felt that because of its sensitivity and high specificity for malignancy, US plays a very impor tant role in the diagnosis of ILC, whenever in a patient with positive clin ical findings, the mammography is negative or the mammographic features are equivocal. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. Ail rights reserved.