Egyptian radiology practice guidelines: palpable breast masses

Abstract

Abstract Background In Egypt, breast cancer is the most common malignancy among females, representing almost a third of all female cancers, with a crude incidence rate of 35.8/1000,00 normal population and an age-standardized incidence rate of 48.8/100,000 normal population. Based on the first Egyptian population-based national cancer registry published in 2014, the updated statistics according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Egypt, 2020 for breast cancer is 22,038 new cases each year among females with a crude incidence rate of 43.5/100,000 normal population and an age-standardized incidence rate of 48.7/100,000 normal population. Main body of the abstract The most prevalent sign of cancer is a palpable lump, and compared to malignancies found by screening, palpable cancers are typically more aggressive and have worse prognoses. There are several circumstances in which palpable breast masses can appear, such as prior to routine baseline mammography, during a clinical breast examination or breast self-examination, in between routine mammogram screenings, or after a lengthy absence from mammography owing to advancing age or individual choice. Following a comprehensive clinical breast examination, often conducted by the referring physician or a board-certified breast clinician, the radiologist must demonstrate concordance between the imaging findings and the clinically observed mass at that location. When a palpable mass is present, the negative predictive value of mammography with ultrasonography varies from 97.4 to 100%. A negative imaging assessment should not prevent a biopsy when a highly suspicious clinical finding is seen. Short conclusion Our multidisciplinary national guideline will assess healthcare providers’ ability to accurately diagnose and characterize palpable breast mass in female patients promptly using a multimodality imaging approach and to differentiate between benign and suspicious masses that need to be further evaluated with core biopsy.