Hepatic Capsular Retraction in Metastatic Carcinoma of the Breast Occurring with Increase or Decrease in Size of Subjacent Metastasis

• Published in: American journal of roentgenology (1976) Vol. 182; no. 3; pp. 651 - 655
• Main Authors: Fennessy, Fiona M, Mortele, Koenraad J, Kluckert, Thomas, Gogate, Adheet, Ondategui-Parra, Silvia, Ros, Pablo, Silverman, Stuart G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Leesburg, VA Am Roentgen Ray Soc 01.03.2004; American Roentgen Ray Society
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Female; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Liver Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Liver Neoplasms - secondary; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Retrospective Studies; Statistics, Nonparametric; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Nuclear medicine; Prevalence; Retraction; Liver; Size; Materials; Hepatic disease; Review; Metastasis; Epidemiology; Liver cancer; Breast carcinoma; Histopathology; Female; Woman; Age; Human; Status; Radiodiagnosis; Increase; Breast cancer; Malignant tumor; Method; Mammary gland diseases; Radiology; Digestive diseases; Medical imagery; Metastatic; Computerized axial tomography; Bibliographic review
• ISSN: 0361-803X; 1546-3141
• DOI: 10.2214/ajr.182.3.1820651

We evaluated the prevalence and significance of hepatic capsular retraction in hepatic metastases from breast cancer and correlated these with metastatic number, size, change in size over time, breast tumor histopathology, chemotherapeutic regimen, and tumor-receptor status. Abdominal CT scans of 200 consecutive women with breast carcinoma (mean age, 57 years; range, 33-81 years), obtained over a 7-month period, were retrospectively reviewed. Fifty-eight women had hepatic metastases. Two hundred seventy-two CT scans, including present and prior examinations (mean [+/- SD], 4.6 +/- 2 per patient), were evaluated. The number and diameter of liver metastases at all examinations, chemotherapeutic agents used, histopathologic diagnosis of breast tumor, and tumor-receptor status were compared in patients with and without capsular retraction. Descriptive analyses of the variables and comparisons of means and proportions as well as correlations were conducted. Hepatic capsular retraction was observed in 29 patients with hepatic metastases (50%). Retraction ranged from 1 to 10 mm in depth. Patients with capsular retraction had significantly larger metastases than those without retraction (p < 0.05). The associations between retraction and increase in size of the subjacent metastasis and between retraction and decrease in size were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Capsular retraction was independent of the number of hepatic metastases, histopathologic diagnosis, tumor-receptor status, and chemotherapeutic regimen. Hepatic capsular retraction is common in patients with hepatic metastases from breast cancer and is associated with larger metastases and both increase and decrease in subjacent lesion size. It is unrelated to lesion number, histopathology, receptor status, or chemotherapeutic regimen.