Author(s)

Christian Johannes Guillaume Castro, Robert Jan Schipper, Lori Maria van Roozendaal, Mireille van Goethem, Marc Bernardus Irene Lobbes, Marjolein Louisa Smidt

Department of Radiology, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
Department of Radiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Objective: To determine the benefit of contralateral mammogram repetition in patients referred from the Dutch breast cancer screening program for unilateral findings. Material and Methods: 395 patients were referred from screening to our institution for unilateral findings between October 2009 and August 2011. In all patients a bilateral mammogram was repeated and analyzed by experienced breast radiologists. Anonymised data concerning the date of registration of the screening mammogram, the referred side (left/right or bilateral), age, screening’s BI-RADS classification, breast density, biopsy results and follow-up were collected. Results: Of the 395 patients referred for a suspicious unilateral finding, a malignancy on the referred breast was confirmed in 144 patients. In addition, a malignancy in the contralateral breast was diagnosed in six patients (1.5%). One of these six contralateral malignancies was occult on screening mammogram, but depicted on institutional mammogram only. The remaining five cases were detected in a blinded retrospective analysis by an experienced radiologist and were considered overlooked by the screening radiologists. During follow-up (mean 27.8 months), no contralateral malignancies were detected. Conclusion: Repetition of the two-view mammogram of the contralateral side in patients referred with a unilateral suspicious finding seems unnecessary.

Breast Neoplasms; Breast Cancer Screening; Conventional Mammography

Castro, C. , Schipper, R. , Roozendaal, L. , Goethem, M. , Lobbes, M. and Smidt, M. (2013) Is Repetition of the Contralateral Mammogram of Patients Referred for Unilateral Findings from the Dutch Breast Cancer Screening Necessary?. Advances in Breast Cancer Research, 2, 141-148. doi: 10.4236/abcr.2013.24023.