Highlights
- •Incidental liver lesions are often encountered on baseline breast MRI.
- •Liver MRI is often used to characterize incidental lesions found on breast MRI.
- •Liver lesions are unlikely malignant in women without a known current cancer.
- •Liver lesions are more likely metastatic in higher stage breast cancer patients.
Abstract
Purpose
To examine outcomes of incidental liver lesions on baseline breast magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) that were further evaluated with dedicated abdominal imaging.
Methods
Consecutive breast MRI reports from 2011 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed to
identify incidental liver lesions. Only patients without prior breast MRI, without
prior abdominal imaging, and with subsequent abdominal imaging were included. Patient
demographics, breast MRI indication, and final liver lesion diagnosis were recorded.
Results
Of 131 women (mean age 53.8 years), 94/131 (71.8%) underwent breast MRI for extent
of disease evaluation, 25/131 (19.1%) for high-risk screening, 11/131 (8.4%) for implant
evaluation, and 1/131 (0.8%) for problem-solving. Of 131 liver lesions (6–80 mm),
117/131 (89.3%) were deemed benign on subsequent abdominal imaging; 10/131 (7.6%)
probably benign; and 4/131 lesions (3.1%) were confirmed breast cancer metastases.
Metastatic liver lesions identified on breast MRI were more likely for women with
a current diagnosis of breast cancer than for women without a current diagnosis of
breast cancer: 4.3% vs 0%. Similarly, metastatic liver lesions identified on breast
MRI were more likely for those with a higher prognostic stage (2 or 3) vs a lower
prognostic stage (0 or 1) or no current breast cancer: 11.1% vs 0%.
Conclusion
Baseline breast MRIs showing incidental liver lesions showed unsuspected liver metastases
only in women with a current diagnosis of clinical stage 2 or 3 breast cancer. This
suggests breast MRI indication and clinical staging of current breast cancer, if present,
can help plan management and decisions to obtain follow-up of liver lesions.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 15, 2022
Accepted:
February 10,
2022
Received in revised form:
February 1,
2022
Received:
October 29,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
