A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in Johannesburg

Background: Breast cancer ranks globally as the most prevalent cause of female deaths. Papillary breast carcinoma (PBC), a rare subtype of breast cancer, presents distinct challenges in diagnosis and management because of its unique histopathological features. Objectives: This study aims to determi...

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Main Authors: Musawenkosi M. Mthombeni, Nasreen Mahomed, Grace Rubin, Sharadini K. Gounden
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2025-05-01
Series:South African Journal of Radiology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/3092
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author Musawenkosi M. Mthombeni
Nasreen Mahomed
Grace Rubin
Sharadini K. Gounden
author_facet Musawenkosi M. Mthombeni
Nasreen Mahomed
Grace Rubin
Sharadini K. Gounden
author_sort Musawenkosi M. Mthombeni
collection DOAJ
description Background: Breast cancer ranks globally as the most prevalent cause of female deaths. Papillary breast carcinoma (PBC), a rare subtype of breast cancer, presents distinct challenges in diagnosis and management because of its unique histopathological features. Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence and main imaging findings of PBC in women attending a tertiary breast imaging centre. Method: A retrospective review of mammography and ultrasound imaging findings of female patients with histologically proven PBC, referred to a tertiary breast imaging centre over a 5-year period, was conducted. Results: The study included 102 female patients with a mean age of 53.8. Mammography detected masses in 93.02%, with calcifications in 41.2% and abnormal borders in 56.8%. Architectural distortion and asymmetry occurred in 27.5% and 28.4% respectively, both showing moderate correlation with PBC (r = 0.50, p = 0.009; r = 0.51, p = 0.0057). Ultrasound findings indicated irregular mass shapes (mean = 1.53), with hypoechoic patterns significantly associated with PBC (r = 0.40, p = 0.0013). Correlation analysis revealed strong associations between PBC and breast pain (r = 0.74, p  0.0001), and erythema (r = 0.62, p  0.0001). There was no significant association between the mammography and ultrasound findings (p = 0.495). Conclusion: The findings underscore the value of using mammography and ultrasound in the diagnosis of PBC, as the two modalities offer complementary information. Contribution: There is a paucity of data on the radiological findings of PBC in Africa. The current study prevalence mirrors global trends, highlighting the importance of ongoing surveillance and diagnostic accuracy.
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spelling doaj-art-55cb09c2e3c546ff9b480fccabeabbd22025-08-20T02:28:24ZengAOSISSouth African Journal of Radiology1027-202X2078-67782025-05-01291e1e710.4102/sajr.v29i1.30921285A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in JohannesburgMusawenkosi M. Mthombeni0Nasreen Mahomed1Grace Rubin2Sharadini K. Gounden3Department of Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanBackground: Breast cancer ranks globally as the most prevalent cause of female deaths. Papillary breast carcinoma (PBC), a rare subtype of breast cancer, presents distinct challenges in diagnosis and management because of its unique histopathological features. Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence and main imaging findings of PBC in women attending a tertiary breast imaging centre. Method: A retrospective review of mammography and ultrasound imaging findings of female patients with histologically proven PBC, referred to a tertiary breast imaging centre over a 5-year period, was conducted. Results: The study included 102 female patients with a mean age of 53.8. Mammography detected masses in 93.02%, with calcifications in 41.2% and abnormal borders in 56.8%. Architectural distortion and asymmetry occurred in 27.5% and 28.4% respectively, both showing moderate correlation with PBC (r = 0.50, p = 0.009; r = 0.51, p = 0.0057). Ultrasound findings indicated irregular mass shapes (mean = 1.53), with hypoechoic patterns significantly associated with PBC (r = 0.40, p = 0.0013). Correlation analysis revealed strong associations between PBC and breast pain (r = 0.74, p  0.0001), and erythema (r = 0.62, p  0.0001). There was no significant association between the mammography and ultrasound findings (p = 0.495). Conclusion: The findings underscore the value of using mammography and ultrasound in the diagnosis of PBC, as the two modalities offer complementary information. Contribution: There is a paucity of data on the radiological findings of PBC in Africa. The current study prevalence mirrors global trends, highlighting the importance of ongoing surveillance and diagnostic accuracy.https://sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/3092radiologybreast imagingbreast cancerpapillary breast cancermammographyultrasoundcomplementary modalities
spellingShingle Musawenkosi M. Mthombeni
Nasreen Mahomed
Grace Rubin
Sharadini K. Gounden
A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in Johannesburg
South African Journal of Radiology
radiology
breast imaging
breast cancer
papillary breast cancer
mammography
ultrasound
complementary modalities
title A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in Johannesburg
title_full A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in Johannesburg
title_fullStr A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in Johannesburg
title_full_unstemmed A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in Johannesburg
title_short A review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in Johannesburg
title_sort review of papillary breast carcinoma in women attending a breast imaging centre in johannesburg
topic radiology
breast imaging
breast cancer
papillary breast cancer
mammography
ultrasound
complementary modalities
url https://sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/3092
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