Maxwell, Robert W.

Background: The current guidelines recommend that women at elevated risk for breast cancer (BC), defined as lifetime BC risk ≥ 20%, undergo annual screening with breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mammogram. However, limited evidence exists in the literature to guide the optimal timing of the MRI relative to the mammogram. Our study evaluated women undergoing high-risk BC screenings to determine the impact of timing for supplemental MRI on BC detection. Methods: Patients who completed high-risk screening MRI at a single institution from January 2019 through June 2022 were included. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were collected through retrospective chart review. MRI exams were divided into two groups based on timing of MRI: concurrent (<90 days from mammogram) and staggered (≥90 days from mammogram). Results: Of 1115 patients initially identified, 770 met inclusion criteria, with a total of 3707 screening exams performed (2073 mammograms and 1634 MRIs). The final analysis included 1355 MRI exams for 712 patients, where a prior mammogram and MRI were available. Of the MRIs included, 784 (57.9%) were concurrent and 571 (42.1%) were staggered. Additional imaging was performed for 12.5% (98/784) of concurrent MRIs and 9.6% (55/571) of staggered MRIs. Biopsy rates were 9.8% (77/784) for concurrent and 7.0% (40/571) for staggered MRIs. In this high-risk population, there were surprisingly low BC detection rates, with a BC incremental detection rate of 0.5% in both the concurrent and staggered groups (p = 1.0), with the median size of detected invasive BCs equaling 5 mm in the concurrent group and 4 mm in the staggered group (p = 0.72). Conclusions: When comparing concurrent and staggered MRI regimens, there were no significant differences in incremental cancer detection rate, tumor size, rates of additional imaging, or negative biopsies. Further investigation with prospective analysis is needed to validate these findings.

Abstract Background Molecular breast imaging (MBI) has shown utility as a supplement to mammography in women with dense breasts. Background parenchymal uptake (BPU), which describes the level of Tc-99m sestamibi in fibroglandular tissue on MBI, varies among women with similar density. Higher BPU is associated with greater breast cancer risk. The goal of this work is to investigate the histological correlations of BPU that may explain this association with risk. Methods We compared histologic features of prospectively collected benign breast tissue biopsies from healthy women who had a region of dense tissue on mammography exhibiting one of the extreme categories of BPU on MBI: either photopenic or marked. Tissue composition of specimens was assessed by measuring area of epithelium, stroma, and fat and counting lobules. Lobular involution status was assessed by an expert pathologist as either none, partial, or complete. Ki-67 index and estrogen receptor-alpha expression were also assessed. Results Biopsies were performed in 48 women (mean age 54.9 years [SD 11.1 years]), including 20 with marked BPU and 28 with photopenic BPU. Women with marked BPU were younger (mean age 49.9 vs. 58.4 years, p = 0.004), had higher body mass index ( p = 0.01), and were more likely premenopausal ( p = 0.005). Marked BPU specimens had a higher proportion of epithelium (14.5% vs. 2.2%, p < 0.001), lower stromal content (44.8% vs. 84.2%, p = 0.005), similar fat (18.9% vs. 12.9%, p = 0.41), and greater lobule counts (15.5 vs. 6.3, p < 0.001) compared to photopenic specimens. Complete lobular involution was less frequent in marked tissue than in photopenic tissue (10.5% vs. 76%, p < 0.001). Ki-67 index was higher in marked BPU tissues (5.4% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.006), though the difference was attenuated after adjustment for epithelial area (p = 0.26). Estrogen receptor-alpha expression did not differ between marked and photopenic groups (25.6% vs. 28.4%, p = 0.12). Conclusions Marked BPU on MBI is associated with greater epithelial content, less lobular involution, and higher proliferative activity—features characteristic of tissue at elevated risk for malignant transformation. These findings suggest that BPU provides functional information beyond mammographic density, supporting its role as an imaging biomarker for breast cancer risk in women with dense breasts. Trial Registration: NCT01240278 and NCT01588834

Abstract The practice of formally documenting radiologic and pathologic concordance after percutaneous breast biopsies was instituted more than 20 years ago. There are several ways in which this can be done, but in many practices the performing radiologist independently compares the imaging findings with the pathology report to determine concordance. However, some studies show that a multidisciplinary review of breast biopsy results can maximize cancer detection, identify discordant cases in a timely manner, decrease imaging follow-up, and avoid unnecessary surgical intervention. This article will propose a practical method to establish a formal radiology-pathology conference in which percutaneous breast biopsies are reviewed with multidisciplinary input to increase efficiency and improve patient care. With the wide implementation of digital radiologic imaging and digital pathology evaluation plus the recent adoption of virtual meeting platforms, a successful radiology-pathology conference can be implemented in nearly any practice setting. Case examples will be presented demonstrating the utility of such a conference.

Abstract Objective Molecular breast imaging (MBI) is a supplemental screening modality consistently demonstrating incremental cancer detection over mammography alone; however, its lengthy duration may limit widespread utilization. The study purpose was to assess feasibility of an abbreviated MBI protocol, providing readers with mediolateral oblique (MLO) projections only and assessing performance in lesion detection and localization. Methods Retrospective IRB-exempt blinded reader study administered to 5 fellowship-trained breast imaging radiologists. Independent reads performed for 124 screening MBI cases, half abnormal and half negative/normal. Readers determined whether an abnormality was present, side of abnormality, and location of abnormality (medial/lateral). Abnormal cases had confirmatory biopsy or surgical pathology; normal cases had imaging follow-up ensuring true negative results. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated to assess performance. A false negative result indicated that a reader failed to detect abnormal uptake; a false positive result indicated a reader incorrectly called an abnormality for a negative case. Tests for association included chi-square, Fisher-exact, and analysis of variance. Results Mean reader performance for detecting abnormal uptake: sensitivity 96.8%, specificity 98.7%, PPV 98.8%, and NPV 96.9%. Accuracy in localizing lesions to the medial or lateral breast was 100%. There were no associations in reader performance with reader experience, reader technique, lesion morphology, or lesion pathology. Median lesion size was 1.0 cm (range: 0.4–8.0 cm). All readers correctly identified 97.7% (42/43) of lesions with malignant or elevated risk pathology. Conclusion An abbreviated MBI protocol (MLO images only) maintained high accuracy in lesion detection and localization.

Abstract Background: This study reports incidence, timing, characteristics, and surveillance imaging of mammographic axillary adenopathy following COVID-19 vaccination. As COVID-19 immunizations continue, with possible booster vaccines upcoming, this study offers timing considerations and potential follow-up recommendations for breast imaging after vaccination. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients (pts) who received at least one COVID-19 vaccine prior to screening (SM) or diagnostic mammography (DM) at Mayo Clinic Florida between January 15 to May 31, 2021. Vaccine-related information was queried by mammography technologists. Adenopathy was assessed by interpreting radiologists and follow-up studies were collated. Mammogram adenopathy included single enlarged node, multiple enlarged nodes, and adenopathy with soft tissue stranding. Ultrasound adenopathy included mildly prominent nodes with preserved fatty hila to rounded nodes with apparent loss of a fatty hilum. Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between days from vaccine and adenopathy. Results: Of 2349 pts, 34 (1.4%) had adenopathy (DM=6; SM=28) and 3 (0.1%) were symptomatic. Presence of axillary symptoms was associated with abnormal imaging (p&lt;0.001) with an odds ratio of 33 in multivariable model. Median time after vaccine for pts with adenopathy was significantly shorter at 14 days compared to 33 days for pts without adenopathy (p&lt;0.001). Incidence of adenopathy decreased as days from vaccine increased (3.4% for 0-14 days, 2.1% for 15-28 days, and 0.4% for &gt; 28 days, p&lt;0.001). After adjusting for being symptomatic, days from vaccine still had a significant impact on finding mammographic adenopathy (for each day after vaccine, OR=0.96, p&lt;0.001). No significant difference was seen based on age (p=0.66), vaccine brand (p=0.66), vaccine dose (p=0.18). ROC analysis to identify a cutoff value for presence/absence of adenopathy was 0.74 (95% CI 0.67-0.81) at 22.5 days following vaccination. Additional imaging with mammogram and/or ultrasound was requested for 31 pts. These included no follow-up (n=4, 12.9%), repeat ultrasound with or without mammogram in 1-3 months (n=26, 83.9%), and biopsy (n=1, 3.2%, pt with ipsilateral breast cancer with negative results, presumably vaccine induced). To date, all pts who underwent surveillance imaging demonstrated normalization of lymph node appearance. The median time for abnormal imaging related to adenopathy to return to BI-RADS 1 or 2 was 84 (range 13-157) days. Conclusion: The incidence of COVID-19 vaccine-induced adenopathy in this study (1.4%) appeared to be lower than self-reported axillary swelling in COVID-19 vaccine trials (16%) but is still higher than the reported incidence of adenopathy on an otherwise normal SM (0.02-0.04%). The incidence of adenopathy decreased significantly over time and was not present in most pts 28 days after the vaccine. In patients with abnormal adenopathy, followup imaging showed resolution of vaccine-induced adenopathy in most patients by 3 months. Adenopathy(N=34)No Adenopathy (N=2315)P valueAge0.66N342314Median (Range)63.5 (35.0, 83.0)64.0 (30.0, 94.0)Q1, Q351.5, 72.555.0, 71.0Exam type&lt;0.001DM6 (13.3%)39 (86.7%)SM28 (1.2%)2276 (98.8%)Symptomatic&lt;0.001Missing032Yes3 (23.1%)10 (76.9%)No31 (1.3%)2273 (98.7%)Vaccine brand0.66Missing119mRNA-127319 (1.7%)1117 (98.3%)BNT162b214 (1.2%)1138 (98.8%)Other0 (0.0%)41 (100.0%)Vaccine dose0.18Missing0181st9 (2.2%)409 (97.8%)2nd25 (1.3%)1888 (98.7%)Days from vaccine&lt;0.001Median (Range)14.0 (1.0, 91.0)33.0 (0.0, 239.0)Q1, Q38.2, 20.816.0, 61.0Days from Vaccine&lt;0.0010-1418 (3.4%)519 (96.6%)15-2811 (2.1%)513 (97.9%)&gt;285 (0.4%)1283 (99.6%) Citation Format: Kristin Robinson, Santo Maimone, Pooja P Advani, Zhuo Li, Denise Gococo-Benore, Neda Qosja, Ashita Mummareddy, Ahmed M Ashai, Annamaria Wilhelm, Robert Maxwell, Martha Wasserman, Neema Patel, Andrey Morozov, Saranya Chumsri. Incidence and time to resolution of axillary adenopathy on mammography after COVID-19 vaccination [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-03-19.

Abstract Objective Image-guided breast biopsies are safe, efficient, and reliable. However, patients are often anxious about these procedures, particularly those who have never undergone a prior biopsy. Methods This prospective IRB-approved study surveyed 163 patients undergoing their first breast biopsy. Participants provided informed consent and completed a short written survey prior to and immediately after their procedure. Level of anxiety as well as anticipated and actual levels of pain prior to and following the procedure were assessed using a 0–10-point Likert scale. Correlation, bivariate, and regression analyses were performed. Results Regarding the biopsy experience, 133/163 (81.6%) of patients reported it as better than expected. Anxiety decreased significantly from a prebiopsy mean score of 5.52 to a postbiopsy mean score of 2.25 (P &lt; 0.001). Average and greatest pain experienced during the procedure had mean scores of 2.03 and 2.77, respectively, both significantly lower compared to preprocedural expectation (mean 4.53) (P &lt; 0.001). Lower pain scores were reported in US-guided procedures compared to stereotactic- and MRI-guided biopsies (P &lt; 0.001). No significant differences in pain scores were seen in those undergoing single versus multiple biopsies, or when benign, elevated-risk, or malignant lesions were sampled. Positive correlations were seen with prebiopsy anxiety levels and procedural pain as well as with anticipated pain and actual procedural pain. Conclusion Image-guided biopsies are often better tolerated by patients than anticipated. We stress the benefit of conveying this information to patients prior to biopsy, as decreased anxiety correlates with lower levels of pain experienced during the procedure.

Abstract Objective Parenchymal breast cysts are considered to be rare in men and are sparsely described in the literature. The purpose of this study was to review our institution’s experience with male breast cysts in an effort to improve overall understanding and management of this rare entity. Methods An institutional review board–exempt retrospective study was performed. Radiology reports for males who underwent mammogram and/or breast ultrasound at any of our institution’s primary or satellite locations from January 1995 to January 2020 were screened to find males with breast cysts. If cysts were reported and images were available, case review was performed to confirm parenchymal breast cyst(s) and patient characteristics were collated. Results Of 5425 male cases presenting for breast imaging, 19 (0.4%) cases of male breast cysts were confirmed, with a mean patient age of 41.6 years (range: 2–81 years). The most common indication leading to cyst discovery was a palpable lump, corresponding to the site of the cyst in 5 (26.3%) patients and near the site where cyst(s) were ultimately discovered in 7 (36.8%) patients. There were 8 (42.1%) instances of cysts without concurrent gynecomastia. Three (15.8%) men underwent needle sampling. There were no cases of atypia or malignancy on needle biopsy or on subsequent clinical follow-up, with median clinical follow-up of 70.3 months (range: 3.3–259.4 months). Conclusion Male breast parenchymal cysts are rare, but their prevalence is likely underestimated. If detected incidentally or upon targeted evaluation, biopsy may be averted if classic benign cyst features are identified.