Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Breast Carcinoma in Mammographically Dense Breasts: Histopathology as the Gold Standard

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (US) in the diagnosis of breast cancer in women with mammographically dense breasts.

Methodology: This cross-sectional validation study was conducted at the Department of Radiology, PHQ Gilgit, from March 24th, 2021, to September 23rd, 2021, utilizing a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. A prospective study of 140 women with mammographically dense breasts (BIRADS 3 and 4) aged 25-60 years was conducted. All women underwent US and histopathology for the evaluation of breast lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy of US were compared to histopathology. SPSS version 24 was employed for data entry and analysis, calculating mean ± SD for quantitative data such as female age, and using frequency and percentage for categorical data like diagnosis on ultrasonography and histopathology.

Results: The sensitivity of US was 91.67%, the specificity was 83.93%, the PPV was 89.53%, the NPV was 87.04%, and the diagnostic accuracy was 88.57%.

Conclusion: US is a highly accurate modality for the diagnosis of breast cancer in women with mammographically dense breasts. It is a valuable tool for the early detection of breast cancer in these women.