A Review of Breast Imaging for Timely Diagnosis of Disease

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 18; no. 11; p. 5509
• Main Authors: Bicchierai, Giulia, Di Naro, Federica, De Benedetto, Diego, Cozzi, Diletta, Pradella, Silvia, Miele, Vittorio, Nori, Jacopo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 21.05.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Breast cancer; Cancer therapies; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Diagnosis; Disease transmission; Image contrast; Image enhancement; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mammography; Medical imaging; Medical prognosis; Morphology; Mortality; Pandemics; Radiation; Resonance; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasound; Womens health; United States > US
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115509

Breast cancer (BC) is the cancer with the highest incidence in women in the world. In this last period, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused in many cases a drastic reduction of routine breast imaging activity due to the combination of various factors. The survival of BC is directly proportional to the earliness of diagnosis, and especially during this period, it is at least fundamental to remember that a diagnostic delay of even just three months could affect BC outcomes. In this article we will review the state of the art of breast imaging, starting from morphological imaging, i.e., mammography, tomosynthesis, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging and contrast-enhanced mammography, and their most recent evolutions; and ending with functional images, i.e., magnetic resonance imaging and contrast enhanced mammography.