To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG DISPATCH - BREAST CANCER: Mammography Most Effective Method To Evaluate Pre-Op Tumours URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/11BE4E.htm Doctor's Guide July 30, 1999
By Louise Gagnon Special to DG News OTTAWA, ON -- July 30, 1999 -- Mammography is the most effective and reliable method to evaluate breast tumour size pre-operatively, says a study presented at the second World Conference on Breast Cancer. The study compared three kinds of measurements to the actual pathology in the breast: clinical measurement using vernier callipers, sonography and mammography. "We usually find out that what the size of the tumour is pre-operatively is different than what is the exact size after surgery when you remove the specimen," said Dr. Shashanka Bose, principal researcher of the study and a professor of surgery and head of emergency services at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in India. "The pathological measurement is the gold standard." Initially, a total of 40 cases were studied pre-operatively. A total of 14 were excluded because of fungating, were too large, or were diffuse on mammography, or were not observed on any one modality. In the 26 cases, the diameter was measured with the three modalities. The clinical measurement showed a higher mean tumour diameter (4.96cm) compared with pathological size (4.25cm). The mean tumour diameter was 3.46cm on an ultrasound image and 4.43cm with a mammogram. The mammogram reading most closely reflected histological size. Researchers used a statistical correlation to determine mammography most closely resembled actual pathology, followed by sonography, and then clinical measurement. "Mammography measured the size closest to what we found it to be after performing surgery," Dr. Bose said. "It is a very sensitive measurement." While clinical measurement is simple and inexpensive, it is inaccurate and given more credibility than it merits, Dr. Bose added. "It is important to have an accurate idea of the tumour size pre-operatively to get a sense of the stage of the disease," Dr. Bose explained. "If it is not accurate, then mistakes can be made in preoperative staging." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.