Is Repeat Mammogram Useful for New Palpable Breast Lumps?

American College of Radiology guidelines for evaluating interval palpable breast lumps in middle-aged and older women (age, ≥40) include diagnostic mammography, usually with additional ultrasound (J Am Coll Radiol 2013; 10:742). In a retrospective chart review that involved 612 women referred for interval lumps within 1 year of a negative mammogram, researchers in Canada assessed the value of repeat mammogram versus targeted ultrasound.

Repeat mammogram showed no change in the region of the lump in 87% of cases, and a mammographic change comprising a new mass or a previous lesion that became more prominent was noted in 13%. Ultrasound identified a lesion corresponding to the palpable lump in 50% of cases. Of these lesions, 75% were considere…