Abbreviated Breast MRI Is Accurate in Evaluating Breast Cancer Extent

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plays a significant role in the treatment of breast cancer. Determining the value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to the initiation of this treatment is challenging, often requiring the evaluation of breast cancer by multiple imaging methods. Recently introduced techniques of abbreviating MRI have evolved that might provide this necessary pretreatment information. Objective: To determine whether abbreviated MRI breast imaging could accurately determine the extent of breast cancer prior to the initiation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Design: Institutional review board–approved retrospective study performed at a single hospital. Methods: Data of breast cancer patients who underwent routine breast MRI prior to starting neoadjuvant chemotherapy were obtained. The routine breast MRI protocol included axial fat-suppressed T2-weighted images, axial T1-wieghted images, 4 post-contrast dynamic phases, and diffusion-weighted images with apparent diff more...