DALLAS--A new study suggests that RODEO breast MRI can accurately determine the extent of DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) and identify characteristic patterns that can differentiate DCIS from more malignant breast cancers.
DCIS is biologically a different lesion from infiltrating cancer, and, if accurately diagnosed, conservative treatment can produce good results, Steven E. Harms, MD, of the University of Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Little Rock, said at the American College of Radiology's National Conference on Breast Cancer.
However, both conventional MRI and mammography have proved inadequate at predicting the extent of DCIS and distinguishing DCIS from infiltrating cancer, leading to a tendency to overtreat the disease.
To provide better detection of DCIS and other breast lesions, Dr. Harms, who was then at Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, developed a high-contrast, high-resolution three-dimensional MRI technique called RODEO (rotating delivery of excitation off-resonance). [For a report of RODEO in lobular breast carcinomas, see Oncology News International, July, 1996,"RODEO Breast MRI Promising in Lobular Cancer Diagnosis".]
The study presented at the symposium involved 22 breast cancers diagnosed at pathology as pure DCIS (five cases), DCIS with microinvasion (six cases), or infiltrating ductal carcinomas with extensive intraductal component (EIC) (11 cases).
The study looked at the new technique's ability to determine both disease morphology (infiltrating carcinoma or DCIS) and extent.
