Abstract
Background:
The most common presenting features of various breast problems are Mastalgia, nipple discharge, cystic lesions or a lump. The most common benign breast lump is a fibroadenoma, whereas invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common malignant lump. An efficient and accurate method needs to be evaluated to maximise cancer detection rates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast is a useful adjunct to mammography and ultrasonography. Breast MRIs include preoperative staging and treatment planning, evaluation of masses in the silicone augmented breast, detecting cancer recurrence after initial treatment, and identifying a primary occult tumour that is not well defined in other investigations.
Materials & methods:
This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Surgery, Government Medical College, Srinagar, from March 2018 to March 2020. A total of 50 female patients with suspicious palpable breast masses were included in the study. Patients with contraindications to MRI & contrast agents and those with inflammatory masses were excluded from the study. Statistical analysis of various variables was done using SPSS 16. Appropriate statistics were applied where ever applicable.
Results:
A total of 50 female patients were included in the study, with an average age range from 50 to 70 years. 56 % of patients had lesions in the upper outer quadrant. Left-sided breast lesions were more common. 54 % of patients had malignant lesions. The sensitivity & specificity of MRI was found to be 96.9 % & 89.3 %, respectively.
Conclusion:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in clinically palpable breast masses is nearly as specific & sensitive as triple assessment. The positive and negative predictive values of MRI are more than triple scores in assessing palpable breast masses. Hence, we recommend MRI in cases of clinically palpable breast masses, especially in high-risk groups for malignancies.

Key words: Breast mass, Magnetic resonance imaging, Specificity, Sensitivity