Retrospective analysis of correlation between preoperative MRI and postoperative pathology after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer

Among patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, planning the operation with regard to excision margins relies on tumor size measured by preoperative MRI. The actual tumor size can be determined by postoperative pathologic evaluation. A retrospective study at Isala Zwolle (The Netherlands) evaluated the correlation between preoperative MRI and postoperative pathology. This correlation was good for HER2+ and ER-/HER2- tumor subtypes, but poor for other subtypes (difference in tumor size for up to 5 cm). The authors conclude that histological tumor subtype should be taken into account when planning breast conserving surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.