Bilateral Breast Cancer Detected by Screening Mammography

Abstract

We examined eight cases of bilateral breast cancer detected by screening mammography between 2007 and 2012. Three of these cases showed bilateral abnormality on mammograms at the time of screening. We retrospectively examined the mammograms of the 5 cases that showed only unilateral abnormality, and found that one of them showed bilateral abnormality on the mammograms. Through close examination of these 5 cases, a craniocaudal view in addition to the mediolateral oblique view detected abnormality in one case, ultrasonography (US) did so in 2 cases, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) did so in 3 cases. Three of the 5 cases showing no abnormality by initial screening mammography were invasive ductal carcinoma histologically, and the remaining 2 cases were non-invasive ductal carcinoma. In cases that show only unilateral abnormality on initial screening mammograms, non-invasive carcinoma or small invasive carcinoma may exist on the contralateral side, and therefore examination of the contralateral side by US or MRI is recommended.