Objective: To evaluate the characteristic imaging features of breast cancer with basal phenotype compared to non-basal phenotype.
Materials and Methods: From August 12, 2006 to March 17, 2008, there were total consecutive 116 cases of surgically proven breast cancer patients at Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital of Hallym medical center. Among them, seventy-one cases were immunohistochemically checked with cytokeratin (CK) 5 or 6. Finally sixty-eight cases were included and three cases were excluded because of improper image quality. Fifty-one patients were evaluated by ultrasound and mammography, 17 cases were examined by only US. Ultrasonographic and mammographic images on PACS were reviewed by two radiologists with consensus according to BI-RADS lexicon (ACR, 2003). The individual imaging features were calculated by a chi-square test and Fisher`s exact test between the basal phenotype and non-basal phenotype of breast cancers.
Results: There were twenty-seven (40%) of basal phenotype; CK5 or 6 positive, and 41(60%) of non-basal phenotype of breast cancer. The non-basal phenotype (35/41, 85%) were statistically significant with calcification compared to basal phenotype (17/27, 63%) on US. On mammography, the non-basal phenotype were significantly seen as a round shape mass (15/33[60%], p<0.05) or a spiculated mass (12/33[48%],p<0.05). There was no other characteristic imaging features between the basal phenotype and non-basal phenotype.
Conclusion: The CK 5 or 6 positive basal phenotype of breast cancers showed less calcification on ultrasound and the non-basal phenotype of breast cancer were seen as a round or spiculated mass on mammography, compared with basal phenotype of breast cancers.