Screening of Contralateral Breast in Patients with Breast Cancer: Role of MR Imaging and PET/CT Imaging.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. Contralateral breast carcinoma is the most common second malignancy in patients with breast carcinoma. Bilateral breast carcinomas exist in 2 forms: synchronous, in which both tumors occur at the same time, or metachronous, in which they occur at different times. When breast cancer is diagnosed, the contralateral breast should be carefully evaluated for a synchronous tumor. Screening for occult contralateral breast cancer is very important on initial cancer diagnosis. The detection and treatment of a synchronous tumor allows for informed surgical decision making, especially if tissue reconstruction is being considered. If chemotherapy is necessary, the patient would only need treatment once for bilateral synchronous cancers, not twice, as with metachronous cancers.