Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and surgical treatment of invasive breast cancer (IBC).
Method: The IBC patients treated from January 2003-June 2008 were reviewed by a single institution.
Results: A total of 814 patients were treated, out of which 562 (69%) underwent breast conservation therapy (BCT), 151 (19%) chose mastectomy alone (M), and 101 (12%) chose mastectomy with reconstruction (M+ R). The mean age was comparatively low in M + R patients (P <or= 0.001). The mean tumor size was the lowest in BCT patients (P <or= 0.001). MRI use increased with no significant difference in type of surgery as noted by year. In multivariate analysis, type of surgery was significantly associated with tumor size, multifocality, age, and MRI use. The factors associated with MRI performance were: multifocality, younger age, tumor size, lobular histology, body mass index, and genetic testing.
Conclusions: The use of MRI in IBC patients has increased over the past 5 years, without any observable impact on surgical treatment. Similar factors are associated with mastectomy and MRI performance.