This retrospective study was performed in a university referral hospital for breast diseases.
All the women aged 70 years or older who received a diagnosis of breast cancer in the period from the 1st January 2015 to the 30th June 2015 in our Institute were included.
The whole sample was splitted in two groups,
one composed by symptomatic patients,
the other by asymptomatic (screening) patients.
Mammography examinations were performed with digital systems (SD and 3DL,
Giotto IMS,
Bologna,
Italy),
and included cranio-caudal and medio-lateral oblique views of both breast.
Ultrasound examinations were obtained using different systems (LogiQ E9,
GE Healthcare,
Little Chalfont,
UK; MyLab Class C,
Esaote,
Firenze,
Italy; iU22,
Philips,
Eindhoven,
The Netherlands),
all equipped with 7–15 MHz linear probes.
Clinical data,
mammography and ultrasound examinations available were assessed by two radiologists with more than 10-years experience in breast imaging,
in consensus,
according to ACR BI-RADS lexicon,
fifth edition.
In all patients the presence or absence of symptoms (palpable mass,
ulcerated lump,
sore nodule,
nipple discharge) was assessed.
Histologic features of each cancer were considered.
Readers assessed if the disease was unifocal,
multifocal,
multicentric or bilateral.
The maximum diameter of the lesion of each patient was measured (of the greatest one in case of multifocal or multicentric disease),
both on mammography and ultrasound examinations.
Mammographic features were recorded: mass,
asymmetry,
architectural distortion,
microcalcifications.
Ultrasound features too were assessed: mass,
ultrasound inhomogeneity.
The previously reported features (histologic features,
unifocality,
multifocality,
multicentricity,
bilaterality of disease and maximum diameter with both mammography and ultrasound) were compared between the group of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
T-test and chi-square test were used; results were considered statistically significant if the p value was less than 0.05.
Statistical analysis was performed with the software program MedCalc,
v.
9.1.0.1.