Differentiating Pure and Mixed Mucinous Breast Carcinoma Using Multimodality Imaging: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

IF 1.5 Q2 MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL

Medeniyet medical journal Pub Date : 2026-09-18 Epub Date: 2026-09-02 DOI:10.4274/MMJ.galenos.2026.36236

Gülnur Erdem, Mahmut Bilal Dogan, Mizgin Yamer, Fatma Yilmazer, Gözde Kir, Hakan Baysal, Nesrin Gunduz

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in differentiating pure from mixed mucinous breast carcinoma and in identifying imaging characteristics specific to each subtype.

Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 68 patients diagnosed with mucinous breast carcinoma between 2017 and 2024. The tumors were classified as pure or mixed mucinous breast carcinomas based on histopathological findings. All available mammography, ultrasound, and MRI examinations were evaluated by a radiologist blinded to the histopathological subtypes. The features, such as tumor shape, margin, signal intensity, mammographic density, echogenicity, and calcifications, were assessed to identify distinctive patterns associated with pure and mixed mucinous breast tumors.

Results: Among the 68 patients, 31 (45.6%) had pure mucinous tumors, while 37 (54.4%) had mixed tumors. On ultrasound, pure mucinous carcinomas more frequently demonstrated an oval shape and a homogeneous internal echo pattern, whereas mixed tumors more frequently exhibited an irregular shape (p<0.05). Mammography showed that non-circumscribed margins were significantly more common in mixed tumors than in pure tumors (p=0.02). On MRI, pure mucinous carcinomas predominantly exhibited oval or lobulated shapes, whereas mixed tumors more frequently exhibited irregular shapes (p=0.02). Pure tumors also showed higher T2 signal intensity (p=0.02) and significantly higher median apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values than mixed tumors (1815 [interquartile range (IQR), 1596-2062.5] vs. 1336.5 [IQR, 904.25-1602.5]×10^-6 mm²/s, p=0.01).

Conclusions: A multimodal imaging approach facilitates differentiation between pure and mixed mucinous breast carcinomas. Among the evaluated modalities, MRI provided the greatest discriminatory value, particularly through T2 signal intensity and ADC measurements, and may complement core needle biopsy when tissue sampling is limited.

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多模态影像鉴别单纯和混合性黏液性乳腺癌：一项回顾性单中心研究。

目的：本研究旨在评价乳房x线摄影、超声和磁共振成像（MRI）特征在鉴别单纯和混合黏液性乳腺癌中的疗效，并确定每种亚型的特异性影像学特征。方法：本回顾性单中心研究纳入了2017年至2024年间诊断为粘液性乳腺癌的68例患者。根据组织病理学结果将肿瘤分为单纯或混合性黏液性乳腺癌。所有可用的乳房x光检查，超声检查和MRI检查由不了解组织病理学亚型的放射科医生评估。对肿瘤形态、边缘、信号强度、乳腺x线摄影密度、回声和钙化等特征进行评估，以确定单纯和混合性乳腺粘液瘤的独特模式。结果：68例患者中，单纯黏液性肿瘤31例（45.6%），混合性肿瘤37例（54.4%）。在超声检查中，单纯粘液癌更多地表现为椭圆形和均匀的内部回声模式，而混合肿瘤更多地表现为不规则形状（p-6 mm²/s, p=0.01）。结论：多模态影像学检查有助于鉴别单纯和混合性乳腺粘液癌。在评估的方式中，MRI提供了最大的鉴别价值，特别是通过T2信号强度和ADC测量，并且在组织采样有限时可以补充核心针活检。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Medeniyet medical journal Medicine-Medicine (all)

CiteScore

1.70

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

5 weeks

期刊介绍： The Medeniyet Medical Journal (Medeniyet Med J) is an open access, peer-reviewed, and scientific journal of Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine on various academic disciplines in medicine, which is published in English four times a year, in March, June, September, and December by a group of academics. Medeniyet Medical Journal is the continuation of Göztepe Medical Journal (ISSN: 1300-526X) which was started publishing in 1985. It changed the name as Medeniyet Medical Journal in 2015. Submission and publication are free of charge. No fees are asked from the authors for evaluation or publication process. All published articles are available online in the journal website (www.medeniyetmedicaljournal.org) without any fee. The journal publishes intradisciplinary or interdisciplinary clinical, experimental, and basic researches as well as original case reports, reviews, invited reviews, or letters to the editor, Being published since 1985, the Medeniyet Med J recognizes that the best science should lead to better lives based on the fact that the medicine should serve to the needs of society, and knowledge should transform society. The journal aims to address current issues at both national and international levels, start debates, and exert an influence on decision-makers all over the world by integrating science in everyday life. Medeniyet Med J is committed to serve the public and influence people’s lives in a positive way by making science widely accessible. Believing that the only goal is improving lives, and research has an impact on people’s lives, we select the best research papers in line with this goal.