Breast imaging and the conservative treatment of breast cancer.

Breast conservation, where appropriate, offers effective treatment for breast cancer while preserving the breast. The increased use of mammographic screening has led to increased detection of small, curable breast cancers that are amenable to breast-conserving surgery. Mammography and other imaging modalities, such as sonography and MRI, assist in the determination of the appropriateness of breast conservation and in the differentiation of recurrence from benign sequelae of treatment.