RADIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF COMMON AND ATYPICAL SITES OF BREAST CANCER METASTASES ON NECK CHEST ABDOMEN PELVIS COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most often diagnosed form of cancer in females, and the primary cause of death is the distant metastatic spread of the disease. For the sake of effective staging, prognostication, and treatment planning, it is important to accurately identify metastases, both at common sites such as bone, lung, and liver, as well as at unusual regions(peritoneum,colon,pelvis).

Objective: In order to provide a complete whole-body evaluation that improves clinical decision-making and patient treatment, the objective of this study is to examine the role that Neck, Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvis (NCAP) CT scanning plays in detecting both conventional and atypical metastatic patterns in breast cancer patients.

Methodology: This 4 month descriptive study reviewed clinical records and NCAP(neck,chest,abdomen,pelvis) CT scans of patients diagnosed with breast cancer to evaluate the distribution of metastatic disease. Each CT scan was examined for the presence, and anatomical distribution of metastases across the neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Both common metastatic sites such as bone, lungs, liver and atypical locations were assessed in detail. Lesions were documented according to type,  and frequency.

Results: In this study of 80 breast cancer patients, metastases were detected in most cases, with 93.8% showing disease spread. Half of the patients had metastases to common sites like bone, liver, lung, and lymph nodes, while 15% had atypical locations, and 27.5% had both. Over half of the patients (52.5%) had multiple metastatic sites, highlighting extensive disease involvement.

Conclusion: This study shows that breast cancer metastases often develop in more than one common or unusual region, especially in those between the ages of 51 and 70. The results show how aggressive metastatic disease is and how important it is to have comprehensive CT screening.