When conducting an ultrasound examination
for breast cancer, there are several common findings that radiologists look
for. These findings can help in diagnosing breast cancer or guiding further
evaluation. Here are some typical ultrasound features associated with breast
cancer:
1- Mass:
Breast
cancer often presents as a mass or lump within the breast tissue. On
ultrasound, a cancerous mass may appear as a hypoechoic (darker) area compared
to surrounding tissue. It may have irregular or spiculated margins, meaning the
edges are not smooth and may have angular or jagged contours.
2-Increased vascularity:
Cancerous tumors tend to have increased
blood flow compared to surrounding healthy tissue. On Doppler ultrasound, this
increased vascularity may be visualized as areas of color flow within or around
the mass.
3-Microcalcifications:
While microcalcifications are more commonly
seen on mammograms, they can also be detected on ultrasound. In breast cancer,
microcalcifications may appear as bright echogenic (white) spots within a mass
or in the surrounding tissue.
4-Architectural distortion:
Breast cancer can distort the normal breast
architecture. This may manifest as focal retraction or distortion of the tissue
surrounding the tumor, leading to an irregular shape or contour of the breast
tissue on ultrasound.
.5-Lymph nodes:
Ultrasound can also evaluate the axillary lymph nodes for signs of metastasis. Enlarged, round,
.hypoechoic lymph nodes with loss of the fatty hilum may indicate the spread of cancer
It's important to note that while these
features can raise suspicion for breast cancer, not all masses with these
characteristics are malignant, and further evaluation, such as biopsy, is often
needed to confirm the diagnosis. Additionally, not all breast cancers will
present with these typical ultrasound findings, so clinical correlation and
follow-up imaging are crucial for accurate diagnosis and management.
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References
Atlas of breast cancer early detection. (n.d.). IARC Screening Group cervical, Oral and Breast cancer
prevention in developping countries - International Agency for Research on
Cancer. https://screening.iarc.fr/atlasbreastdetail.php?Index=083&e=
Axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients: Sonographic
evaluation. (2014). PubMed Central
(PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4337126/
Davis, L. (2007, March 6). Distinguishing breast cancer tumors from benign masses. Verywell Health. Retrieved January 31, 2022,
from https://www.verywellhealth.com/breast-cancer-tumors-or-benign-masses-430277
Pinheiro, D.
J., Elias, S., & Nazário, A. C. (2014). Axillary lymph nodes in breast
cancer patients: sonographic evaluation. Radiologia brasileira, 47(4), 240–244.
https://doi.org/10.1590/0100-3984.2013.1689
Zhang, X. Y., Cai, S. I., Zhang, L.,
Zhu, Q. L., Sun, Q., Jiang, Y. X.,
Wang, H. Y., & Li, J. C. (2022, March 21). Association between vascular index measured via superb
Microvascular imaging and molecular subtype of breast cancer. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.861151/full
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