Ultrasound better for measuring breast tumor size

A new study suggest that breast ultrasound is more accurate than clinical breast examination or mammography in assessing tumor size in breast cancer patients.
Mammography uses special x-ray equipment to produce detailed images of the breast. It is the single most effective way to detect breast cancer in its early stages. Mammograms can also detect non-cancerous growths, such as cysts.
A breast ultrasound (sonogram) uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the breast tissue. The test is a valuable diagnostic tool to determine if a lump is fluid-filled, as in a cyst, or a solid mass.
Determining the size of a breast cancer tumor is important for treatment planning, particularly for surgical intervention. Surgeons require an accurate measurement of the tumor and frequently use breast ultrasound as an evaluation tool prior to surgery.

In a new study conducted at Mansoura University Medical School in Egypt, researchers compared diagnostic tools for evaluating tumor size. Clinical breast examination by a physician, mammography and sonography were compared for accuracy in 124 women with known breast cancer.
All of the women had the size of their tumors assessed with the three methods prior to surgery. The measurements were compared to the size of the tumor based on pathologic analysis of the surgical specimen. Results revealed that measurements by mammogram and sonogram both tended to underestimate tumor size while measurements from clinical examination tended to overestimate tumor size.
In analysis, researchers determined that ultrasound was significantly more accurate in determining tumor size. The diameter of the tumor was within 2mm of the pathological tumor size in 45 percent of the cases measured by ultrasound - compared to 28 percent of mammography measurements and 14 percent of the measurements by clinical examination.
Based on the results of the study, researchers suggest that ultrasound should be part of a surgeon's assessment for tumor size in breast cancer patients. The study was published in the May 2006 issue of The Breast Journal.