Detecting infiltrating lobular carcinoma using scintimammographic breast specific gamma imaging

This study evaluated the effectiveness of scintimammography performed with gamma cameras optimized for breast imaging in the detection of infiltrating lobular carcinoma. This new procedure, Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), was conducted on 105 patients presenting with 113 breast lesions. Studies were conducted at two medical centers using three prototype cameras [14, 16]. Biopsy and pathology reports were obtained for all cases and, of the 34 detected carcinomas, 6 were determined to be infiltrating lobular type without mixed component other than lobular carcinoma in situ. Of the 6 lesions, 4 were smaller than 1 cm, the smallest measuring 3mm at biopsy. BSGI detected all 6 of the lobular carcinomas and correctly identified the secondary lesion in the only multifocal case. The BSGI foci sizes matched the lesion size at biopsy to within +/-5.5mm, with about an equal number of cases over and under estimated. Conclusion: BSGI provides an effective tool for the detection of lobular carcinoma and in the determination of lesion size and multifocality.