Ultrassonografia automatizada no diagnóstico do cancer de mama

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer represents a real global health challenge with considerable unmet medical need. The increasing complexity of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment presents challenges across all resource settings. Several measures are needed to facilitate timely diagnosis and provision of appropriate treatment: this includes addressing some of the financial and logistical barriers to accessing comprehensive cancer care. Objective: The objective of this literature review was to address the use of automated breast ultrasound, its applicability and importance. Methodology: This study was a literature review that included articles from Pubmed, Lilacs and Bireme, in English and Portuguese. Ultrasonography, gynecology and mastology books that presented definitions and concepts related to breast cancer were also searched. Articles were analyzed in terms of relevance to the study objectives, and more recent articles published in the last 10 years were preferably included. Prospective studies were preferably included, when available. Discussion: In resource-poor settings, many healthcare systems require individuals to self-finance large proportions of healthcare costs. Ultrasonography is a widely used diagnostic method, used as an adjunct to mammography in cases of abnormal clinical or mammographic findings or as the first choice in special situations, such as pregnancy, lactation, young women and during inflammatory states of the breast, ultrasound is an examiner-dependent method and the examiner must be present at the time of image acquisition, as a consequence, it is difficult to perform breast ultrasound in a screening environment or in regions with low population density. Conclusion: Automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) is a recent technological advance in the field of breast imaging, with the benefit of standardization of scans and lack of operator dependency. A significant difference was found between the number of lesions detected by ABUS and conventional ultrasound.