Contrast-enhanced ultrasound predicts surgical margin positivity in patients with breast cancer who underwent partial mastectomy

Abstract Background The clinical disadvantage of positive margins in partial mastectomy for patients with operable breast cancer is clear and must be avoided; however, there is still room for improvement. The usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in diagnosing spread is currently well known. The CEUS-enhanced area for breast cancer tends to be wider than that observed in B-mode and probably includes cancer cells. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between characteristic findings and positive for margins in order to ultimately prove potential usefulness of CEUS in making the surgical margin negative. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the data of 142 patients with breast cancer who underwent partial mastectomy to explore the effect on positive margins when the CEUS staining area was smaller than the B-mode visualized mass (CEUS-B ≤ 0). Results CEUS-B ≤ 0 was associated with significantly more positive margins (p = 0.0467). CEUS-B was also extracted as an independent predictor on multivariate analysis. Conclusions The findings of no enhancement outside the area of visible tumor on CEUS but not visualized outside the area of visible tumor on B-mode might be a risk factor for a positive surgical margins.