Chiaki TANIGUCHI¹, Tomoyuki OHTA², Mari INOUE², Megumi HIRANO², Makiko NISHIOKA², Norio NAKATA², Hiroya OJIRI², Takako SHIRAKAWA³

¹Department of Radiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Daisan Hospital, ²Department of Radiology, Diagnostic Ultrasound Center, Jikei University School of Medicine, Fuzoku Hospital, ³Department of Radiological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University Graduate School of Human Health Sciences

キーワード : mimic breast cancer, penetrating breast artery, non-reproducible in any other section views, inexperienced examiner

“Mimic breast cancer” involves irregularly shaped hypoechoic areas with Doppler flow signals suggesting invasive cancer on breast ultrasonography in one section view that are non-reproducible in others. The ultrasonographic features in four cases of mimic breast cancer are discussed. These findings may represent areas where a penetrating breast artery emerges through the mammary zone. The cancer-like appearance may be due to irregular mammary zone disconnection by the penetrating artery and perivascular fat tissue, and shadowing from arteries adjacent to the anterior mammary fascia. Such lesions may be interpreted as breast cancer by inexperienced examiners, and are associated with risk of vessel injury as a result of needle biopsy.