AbstractBackground: The radiological field of breast imaging is currently undergoing a new technological shift to improve breast cancer detection. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography helps to overcome the limitations of conventional mammography.
Aim: To evaluate the role and validity of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography in the detection and characterization of breast suspicious lesions.
Patients and Method: A prospective study was conducted in Oncology Teaching Hospital in Iraq during the period from October 2022 to October 2023. The sample included 50 patients with BI-RADS categories 4 and 5. Those patients underwent Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography examinations. The final confirmed diagnosis was obtained by histopathological analysis by core biopsy or surgery.
Results: According to histopathological examination, 33 (66%) of the patients were diagnosed with malignant lesions and 17 (34%) of them were diagnosed with benign lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography in predicting malignant lesions were 93.8%, 83.3%, 90.9%, 88.2%, and 90%, respectively.
Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography is a feasible and accurate imaging technique for the detection and characterization of breast suspicious lesions and assessment of the extent of cancerous breast lesions.
