Interpretations were altered in 51% of second-opinion reviews for breast imaging exams

Interpretations were altered in 51% of second-opinion reviews for breast imaging exams.

Interpretations were altered in 51% of second-opinion reviews for breast imaging exams.

Research published online on June 28 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology revealed compelling findings regarding the impact of second opinions on breast imaging results. Conducted by researchers at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the study focused on patients without a prior breast cancer diagnosis who sought a second opinion on their imaging results.

The study discovered that over half of the patients—51 percent—who self-referred for a second opinion experienced a change in radiologic interpretation. Among these cases, 25 percent of lesions were reclassified as benign or most likely benign during the second-opinion review. Consequently, 14 percent of patients were spared from previously recommended biopsies, a significant outcome as explained by lead author Kristen Coffey, MD, and her team.

The discrepancy between the original interpretation and the second-opinion review was notable, accounting for 47 percent of lesions. Alarmingly, the second-opinion review detected cancer in 29 percent of additional recommended biopsies. Equally concerning was the revelation that 35 percent of cancers identified during the second-opinion review went undetected in the initial interpretation.

The researchers examined 425 breast imaging studies submitted to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for second-opinion review by 245 patients in 2014, ultimately analyzing 147 patients with 176 lesions.

Mammograms play a pivotal role in early detection, enabling timely diagnosis and potentially life-saving interventions for breast cancer.

The impact of second opinions proved pivotal: they unearthed additional cancer in 4 percent of patients and prevented unnecessary surgery in 5 percent. The researchers underscored the value of seeking a specialist’s opinion even before a formal breast cancer diagnosis. They emphasized the significance of breast imaging specialists conducting thorough second-opinion reviews of screening and diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs. At their cancer center, these reviews led to the identification of 31 additional suspicious lesions, 28 extra biopsies performed, and the detection of eight previously undetected malignancies.