Preoperative MR imaging in patients with breast cancer: preoperative staging, effects on recurrence rates, and outcome analysis.

As well documented for other diseases (ie, lymphoma), an accurate pretherapeutic assessment of the extent of breast cancer is essential for planning the appropriate treatment to get the best long-term results, decrease recurrence rates, and increase patient survival. This article presents an overview of the effects of preoperative local staging with MR imaging in breast cancer patients.