MRI in Occult Breast Cancer
| Study | Type of Study | Study Population | N | Mean Age/Range | Major Findings/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olson et al.45 | Prospective | Women with unknown primary and metastatic axillary adenocarcinoma; initial XRM, US, or PE was not diagnostic of malignancy | 40 | 58 | (+) MRI correlated with breast tumor in 81% of cases overall; initial XRM, US, or PE was not diagnostic of malignancy |
| Henry-Tillman RS et al. (Dec 1999) (54) | Retrospective | Patients with unknown primary, (+) axillary/supraclavicular lymphadenopathy, (−) XRM/CBE, and (+) MRI | 10 | 36 to 68 | MRI was 100% accurate when correlated with pathology; 80% (N = 8) were (+) and primary breast CA was confirmed; 20% (N = 2) were negative and other primaries (ovarian CA and lymphoma) were identified |
| Orel SG et al. (Aug 1999) (55) | Prospective | Patients with (+) axillary node metastasis, negative PE and XRM, and unknown primary | 22 | 49 | Breast cancer was detected as the primary in 86% (N = 19) of cases; 17 were confirmed by pathology; 2 resolved on MRI follow-up during chemotherapy |