Audit of ultrasound measurement of invasive breast cancers compared with histological size

udit of ultrasound measurement of invasive breast cancers compared with histological size Methodology (4000) Total Article Views Authors: Brian Mucci, Robert Shaw Published Date June 2010 Volume 2010:2 Pages 41 - 43 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CA.S9663 Brian Mucci, Robert Shaw Radiology Department, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK Abstract: An accurate measure of breast cancer size is important since it influences therapy choice and can be used to monitor response to treatment. Ultrasound is known to underestimate tumor size, but experienced operators should achieve a good correlation between measurements and histological size. There is a wide range of published correlation coefficients with a mean of 0.74 and range of 0.45 to 0.92. Tumor type can influence the correlation with lobular carcinomas, in particular, being more difficult to visualize and measure on imaging. A minimum correlation of 0.6 with a desirable target of 0.75 seems achievable. This short report demonstrates how readily available software can be used to calculate and graphically display a correlation coefficient of ultrasound and histological tumor measurements. Using our results for one year, we illustrate the use of this software as an auditing tool.